


Beauty And The Beast

by Pastaaddict



Series: Hetalia Tales [7]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, Enough of this crap, I apologise right now, I clearly can't do tags either, I clearly can't write songs but you'll have to deal with it!, Ivan is cursed, M/M, Magic is making everyone sing, No one believes Arthur exists and thinks Francis is mad, On With The Story, What Was I Thinking?, originally Posted on FanFiction.Net under the same name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-05-20 17:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19380970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastaaddict/pseuds/Pastaaddict
Summary: King Ivan was cursed by his sister, the Dark Sorceress, Natalya, and only his soul mate can free him from it. Matthew lives in a remote village where no one understands him. When Ivan takes his father prisoner, Matthew takes his father's place. Has Ivan found his soul mate? And will his soulmate fall in love with someone who looks like him?





	1. A Provincal Town

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to have a little fun when writing this story so you have to put up with my song writing skills (or lack thereof). You decide! And this story was what inspired my soulmate series Heartbeat, what with Ivan's heart not beating until he finds his soulmate. That and it was a little less gruesome than Ivan's heart falling out all the time. So enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Neither Hetalia nor Beauty And The Beast belongs to me.

 

**Previously in Sleeping Beauty...**

 

 _"_ __I will not marry you, Natalya!" Ivan said with conviction although (but he would never admit this) she made him nervous. Over the past few years, there had been something increasingly off about Natalya, accumulating in her obsession for wanting to marry him, her own brother!_ _

 

 _"_ __Why not, brother?" she demanded, a dark aura falling over her. "Why should we not become one?"_ _

 

 _"_ __You answered your own question. Because I'm your brother, Natalya. Us, marry! Nyet! (_ _ _No!_ __) It's unnatural and I could never love you in such a way." Natalya's mood darken further is that were possible._ _

 

 _"_ __Our sweet older sister has contaminated you with her opinions to turn you against me. I knew she had." Ivan suddenly froze._ _

 

 _"_ __What do you know about Katyusha?" he said, suspiciously. When Katyusha suddenly disappeared, Ivan sent servants and used his ice magic to try to find her but there was no sign, other than a hint of magic too old to trace. Now, with what Natalya had blurted out, he had a new lead to follow._ _

 

 _"_ __She stood between us. She wanted you for herself!" Ivan knew for sure now that his sister was insane._ _

 

 _"_ __She never wanted me like that. She loved me as her brother. What did you do to her?" Natalya just smiled a sinister smile._ _

 

 _"_ __I will find her with or without your help, Natalya. I will never be your husband, I don't even want you for a sister now. I wish to be surrounded by people who love, not obsess!" Natalya's face turned ugly._ _

 

 _"_ __Let's see anyone love you after this!" she screamed. Ivan raised his hooked, diamond-topped staff to defend himself but Natalya was faster and there was a blinding white light._ _

 

 

**_**Chapter 1 : A Provincial Town.** _ **

 

Ivan was trapped in the white glow of Natalya's magic, unable to move or use his own. He never realised that she had become so strong. He was a powerful wizard in his own right but somehow Natalya had surpassed him.

The servants in the throne room rushed forward to help their sovereign but another wave of her staff and they were frozen too. Then she plucked a sunflower, her brother's favourite, from a nearby vase.

"Release me, Natalya," he warned, although he was not sure what he could do if she did not. But she seemed not to hear him as her eyes glowed and she began to weave her spell.

 

__Your magic sealed, your form transformed_ _

__Your castle with servants as objects adorned_ _

__Your heart with no beat, until the day_ _

__Your soul mate should happen to come by your way_ _

__Love given and sent before the flower decays_ _

__Fail, beast and objects remain all  your days._ _

__And of curse and name you cannot tell_ _

__Or cursed your soul mate will be as well._ _

 

Pain racked Ivan's body as his bones twisted and changed shape, tearing his clothes as his body grew and bulked out. His face stretched outward and became a snout, his upper and lower incisors growing into fangs and white hair spouted all over his body. Two twisted horns grew from either side of his head, his heart fell silent in his chest and when the transformation was finished, Ivan would have collapsed had the magic glow not been holding him up.

And his heart no longer beat in his chest.

Natalya then turned to the paralysed servants

"I can't have you running about trying to find your king his soul mate," she commented and waved her staff.

Emil Steilsson of the Bondevik Tribe, Ivan's apprentice, realised that, from the lines _Your castle with servants as objects adorned_ and _Love given and sent before the flower decays,_ Natalya intended to turn them into knick-knacks and object d'art and that the cure for the curse was connected to the life of the flower. He was powerless to stop it but if Natalya did not know he possessed magic, being a half-ling, he could affect what he became and, perhaps, be able to be useful later.

Cries and screams filled the air as all the servants and courtiers began to transform. Emil struggled to concentrate through the pain and when it was done, Natalya dropped an ornate hand mirror on the floor at Ivan's feet.

"Something so you can still see the outside world, dear brother," she mocked. "A world you're no longer apart of. You want to be free? Then you must find your _soul mate_." She infused the word with mockery. "When you do, your heart will beat again and this flower will glow. But you must love this person and they must love you before the last petal falls but you can never tell them about the curse or who you are, you will curse them and it will never be broken. Fail and you and your servants will remain like this forever for you will not age while the curse stands. Imagine, brother. You! Immortal! As a beast!"

Everyone was released from the glow as Natalya disappeared laughing. A huge white beast lay on the floor, surrounded by objects which included a glass dome and a floating sunflower.

* * *

Ashamed of his new form and how people might respond to him now, Ivan withdrew from the world and became as cold as his unbeating heart. His servants tried to keep his spirits up but Ivan sank into despair with the belief that he would never break the curse.

Because who could ever love a beast!

* * *

 _30_ __years later..._ _

Matthew Kirkland-Bonnefoy's day had not got off to the best start. While in the basement of the cottage he shared with his papa, he had knocked against a set of shelves and one of his Fae father's potions had fallen on his head and covered him. He had no idea what it did but there did not seem to be any affect so he thought nothing of it. However, it was a potion to induce singing and dancing, usually used for celebrations. However it was not used in such quantity, it could not even be removed by bathing, it had to be removed by magic and it would have an unusual reaction.

He picked up the book he had finished only last night, put it in his basket and left for the town of Ville de Bois, with his pet polar bear, Kumajirou, by his side.

As he went he did not realise he was singing, _“_ _ _Early morning in a provincial town, the same old people all around. Throughout the town, you hear this sound."__ The wind came from behind Matthew and blew some of the powdery potion into the town.

 

 _"_ _ _Bonjour!"__ a woman called from her bedroom window.

 

 _“ _Bonjour!"__ a shopkeeper said as he swept his doorstep.

 

 _"_ _ _Bonjour!"__ Matthew spotted the baker, carrying his bread basket.

 

 _"_ _ _The baker bakes, the farmer sows,"__ he sang and saw the dressmaker stitching in her window. " _The seamstress sitting making clothes. All greet all cause all knows!"_

 

__"Bonjour!"_ _

 

__"Bonjour!"_ _

 

"Bonjour, Matthieu," the baker called. Matthew greeted him politely.

"Where're you off to, today?"

"The bookshop," Matthew replied. "I just finished a wonderful story about..." But the baker was already bored with the conversation and went to get some baguettes. Matthew shrugged his shoulders and went on his way, passing two gossiping old women.

 

 _"_ _ _That boy is strange,"__ one muttered to the other in song. __"He reads, he dreams."__

 

 _"_ _ _Yes, not as normal as he seems,"__ her friend sang back.

 

 _"_ _ _Has no plans with normal themes,"__ another woman commented.

 

 _"_ __He's strange!"_ _ her husband replied.

 

 _"_ _ _He's strange!"__ his wife and her friend agreed.

 

 __"He's strange!"_ _a crowd chimed. The rest of the village went about their business.

 

 

 _"_ __Bonjour, my friend. How is your day?"_ _

 

 _"_ _ _Bonjour, monsieur. My day is fine!"__ Matthew sighed.

 

 _"_ _ _This happens every single day__ __in this provincial town."__

 

He reached the bookshop and went inside. The shop owner, Hercules Kapusi, had arrived in the village nearly ten years ago and opened the bookshop. The townspeople wondered how he stayed in business. Sometimes the shop would not open for 'trips to buy stock' and very few people actually used the shop, Matthew being his best customer. Hercules was the only one Matthew had anything remotely in common with. A love of books, philosophy in Hercules's case, fantasy in Matthew's.

"Hello, Matthew," he greeted and scratched Kumajirou behind his ear which he liked.

"Hello, Hercules," Matthew replied. "I came to return the book I borrowed."

"Finished it already?!"

"I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday."

"Okay," he mused, looking over the books on one of the shelves. "I'll borrow... this one." and he picked one off the shelf. Hercules looked at the title.

"You've read this twice already!"

"It's my favourite," Matthew said. "Far off places, magic spells, a prince under a curse!"

"It spends more time in your home than it does here, you might as well keep it."

"But I can't..."

"Don't insult me by refusing a gift."

"Oh thank you!"

Clutching his new treasure, Matthew and his bear left the bookshop and began to walk back up the main street, villagers whispering behind his back.

 

 _"_ _ _That boy's so cute, it's such a shame,"__ a girl whispered to her friend. __"I wonder just who is to blame?"__

 _"_ _ _Two fathers,"__ another commented. __"Or so that's the claim."__

 _"_ __He's weird! He's weird! He's weird!"_ _

 

Matthew sat by the village fountain as sheep were herded around him, reading more of his book. One of them chewed on a page as he pulled the book away from it while he was being watched from a ladies hat shop where a customer was being attended to by the shop owner.

 

 _"_ _ _He looks so cute, it's just too bad,"__ the woman said to the shopkeeper. __"He's so peculiar, it's so sad."__ The shopkeeper shrugged.

  _"_ _ _I've heard tell, his father's mad,"__ he replied. __"He's odd! He's odd! He's odd!"__

 

A flock of geese, flying in formation, suddenly scattered as a loud bang filled the air and one of their group fell from the sky. It plummeted to the ground where a young man with dyed-blonde hair with a curl to the right and purplish-pink eyes, waited with a sack to catch the goose in. He was a little off and it hit the ground. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed, quickly grabbed the carcass and stuffed it in the bag.

Flavio Maestri took the bag to his twin brother, a man with dark hair, tanned skin and magenta eyes, who was blowing the smoke away from the end of the gun he had just used to shoot the goose from the sky.

"You don't miss a shot, Luciano," Flavio praised. "You must be the greatest hunter in all the world!"

"Very true," Luciano agreed. Having his twin around was a boost to his ego. Flavio was the older twin but Luciano was the more assertive which was why he was leader of his little gang.

To put it bluntly, Luciano was a criminal.

He and his gang had been a crime wave that had swept across Italy until they had been hired by the Dark Sorceress, Natalya to kidnap King Romulus's son, Lovino. Luciano had his own reasons for taking the job and, after delivering the brat to Natalya, she told him that he and his gang had better lie low and, as an incentive, she cast a spell over the group to stop them ageing. Every now and then she would call them in for any job she did not want to use magic for. It was a very lucrative arrangement.

Until twelve years ago.

They moved around to avoid awkward questions about their lack of ageing. They had just arrived at this village when the news came that the Dark Sorceress had been destroyed and they had begun to age again.

There was one benefit, however. They would not have to move around any more and they integrated themselves into the village. Those Luciano could not charm, he intimidated. In short order, he and his gang became the unofficial leaders of the village.

But there was one he could not intimidate, not if he wanted to get what he wanted. So he tried charm but the person in question seemed oddly immune.

"Any beast in your sights is doom," Flavio laughed. "And any heart, for that matter."

"That's true, fratello," Luciano replied. "And I've got my sights set on him!" He used the gun to point down the main street.

Straight at Matthew!

Flavio looked at Matthew and then back at his twin in surprise.

"The inventor's son?" he questioned.

"He's the one," Luciano stated. "The lucky one I've decided to marry."

"But he's..."

"The most beautiful in town."

"Yes, but..."

"That means he's the best," Luciano said in a tone that brooked no argument, grabbing the front of Flavio's shirt to empathise the point. "And I deserve the best, don't I."

Flavio nodded, knowing Luciano would not listen to a word about the strangeness of the Kirkland-Bonnefoy family. Matthew was considered strange because of his reading and dreaming of a life of adventure but that was nothing compared to his papa.

Francis Kirkland-Bonnefoy was an inventor who, by their very nature, are considered eccentric but this was compound by the fact that Francis insisted that he was married to a Fae who was looking for Matthew's missing twin. The village was rather isolated and the people there considered the Fae to be a myth and so considered Francis to be a little mad.

But if Luciano wanted Matthew, Flavio would help him get Matthew.

 

 _"_ __I saw young Matthew, such a catch,"_ _ Luciano sang as a gust of wind from Matthew's direction hit him. __"Only he is my true match. And so a plan I'm going to hatch...He's mine He's mine! He's mine!"_ _

 

Luciano took off down the road towards Matthew, passing some of the local girls who were suffering from a real case of bad boy syndrome. And potion dust.

 

 _"_ _ _He's ooh lala__ _!_ _ _"__ Jeane sighed.

 _"_ _ _He's muy fine!"__ Carmen agreed.

 _"_ _ _He's so awesome!"__ Julchen added.

 _ _"He's mine!"__ they all sang.

 

Unaware that he was being stalked by the local bad boy, Matthew went on his way as the hum-drum of small town life went on around him. To Luciano, it seemed like everyone was getting in his way but he was determined to make Matthew his spouse so he found a way around the back of the shops and houses to get ahead of him. Matthew let the chatter wash over him.

 

" _Matthew's life is the one I'll share in this provincial town,"_ Luciano announced to the other villagers who looked in Matthew's direction who had not heard Luciano's proclamation.

 _"_ _ _Matthew's strange,"__ they sang with renew interest in the boy. __"His father's mad!"__

 _"He's my match,"_ Luciano replied. _"_ __He's not his Dad! Protest and I'll do something bad. He's mine, he's mine."_ _

__"HE'S MINE!"_ _

 

Matthew got the feeling he was being stared at, looked round and saw the villagers suddenly moved like they had never stopped what they were doing. In fact, no one realised they had been singing so Matthew continued to read his book as he walked and almost ran into someone who was suddenly in front of him and Kumajirou started growling. He looked up and saw, what he viewed as, the bane of his existence.

"Hello, Luciano," he said to be polite and went back to his book as he tried to walk around Luciano.

Luciano was not happy being second fiddle to a book and pulled it out of Matthew's hands, flipping through the pages.

"Luciano, may I have my book please?" Matthew demanded. Luciano continued to flip through the pages.

"How can you read this?" he asked. "There aren't even any pictures." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Some people use their imaginations," he said, sarcastically. It flew over Luciano's head, as did Matthew's book as he threw it away and it landed in a puddle.

"You should get your head out of those books and think about more important things," he advised. "Like the future."

Kumajirou retrieved his master's book before it got too damaged and took it to Matthew who was thinking about what a world sized ego this man had. He was amazed Luciano could move, he was so big-headed.

"Everyone's talking about it," Luciano was not happy that people were gossiping about his future life partner. "Nobody should read so much. Soon they start thinking and getting ideas." He shuddered at the thought of Matthew thinking for himself.

"Like that would be a bad thing," Matthew commented under his breath but Luciano fortunately didn't hear him.

"Come on, Matt." MATT! Only his twin brother, Alfred, had ever called him that. That or Mattie. Before Matthew could object to the familiarity, Luciano had put his arm around his shoulders and tried to steer him back into the village.

"Come to the tavern and I'll show you my hunting trophies," he offered. Like Matthew really wanted to see a bunch of dead animal heads. He slipped out of Luciano's grip.

"Another time."

The Bad-boy Bimbo Trio could not believe Matthew was passing up this chance but then they always thought he was strange.

"Come on, Matt," Matthew gritted his teeth. "Spend some time with me!" Matthew just wanted to get away with him, especially now his fawning twin, Flavio, had just joined them as Matthew saw him come up behind Luciano.

"Sorry," he said, not sorry at all. "But I have to get home and help my father. Goodbye!"

Flavio laughed.

"That crazy lunatic's beyond help," he giggled. The Maestri twins began laughing.

"Don't talk about my father that way!" Luciano realised that ridiculing Matthew's family was not the best way to get into Matthew's good books and slapped Flavio across the head.

"Don't talk about his father that way," he parroted.

"My papa's not crazy," Matthew stated in defence of his father. "He's a genius!"

BOOM!

A large smoke cloud shot into the air from the direction of Matthew's cottage, a little way outside the village. Matthew gasped, "Papa!" and ran home, Kumajirou following, with Luciano and Flavio's laughter echoing in his ears.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Francis has the dubious pleasure of meeting a certain person...


	2. The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis takes his newest invention to the Inventor's fair but takes a wrong turn....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, AMERICA!

 

**_**Chapter 2:The Beast** _ **

  


Matthew ran to the cellar doors at the side of the house and pulled them open. At first he was forced back by the trapped smoke billowing out as it was released. There was no searing heat which was good because it meant that nothing was on fire but at first Matthew could see nothing.

"Papa!"

He was answered by a lot of coughing and then, "Mon Dieu! Je ne ferai jamais ce stupide morceau de ferraille faire ce qu'il devrait" ( __My God! I'll never get this stupid piece of junk to do what it should_ _ _)._

"Papa, are you all right?" Matthew asked, climbing down into the cellar and over the huge mechanical _masterpiece?_ that was taking up the centre of the room to reach his father.

Francis was a rather handsome man with blue eyes, blonde hair that went to his shoulders and stubble on his chin. He looked rather young to have a twenty year old son but one of the advantages of being married to a Fae was a slowing of age.

"Oui, I'm fine, Matthieu," Francis reassured him. "I've just proven that there can be smoke without fire, I didn't even light it yet. I'll never get this _dieu maudit_ _(god damned)_ contraption to work." And he gave, what looked like, the big boiler on wheels with a seat and several levers in front (that looked like it had crashed into the wall) a kick and then hopped around, groaning, because he had hurt his big toe doing it.

"Yes, you will," Matthew stated with conviction. "AND win first prize at the Inventor's Fair." Francis was touched by his son's faith in him.

"You really believe that," he asked.

"Always have!" Matthew replied. "Always will!" Francis rolled up his sleeves and put a band around his head that had all kinds of lenses and contraptions attached to it.

"Well, what are we waiting for!" he said and climbed under the machine. "Pass me that dog leg clincher please, Matthieu." Matthew move to the toolbox and removed the required article. As he brought it back, he pondered.

"Papa!"

"Hmm"

"Am I odd?"

"My son! Odd!" Francis pulled himself from under the contraption with the lenses on the band down that magnified his eyes so he almost look like an owl. "Mon Dieu, where did you get an idea like that?"

"I don't know," Matthew did not think of himself as odd but the townspeople seemed to think he was. "It's just there's no one in town I can really talk to, except Hercules but he's not here all the time."

"What about that Luciano?" Francis asked and waggled his eyebrows. "He's a handsome fellow." Matthew snorted.

"Oh, he's handsome all right," he huffed. "And rude! And conceited and ….. never mind, we're not suited." Matthew sat down and sighed, "I wish Dad was here." Francis got up from his work, sat down beside Matthew and put his arm around his son's shoulders.

"I do, too," he said. Arthur had been home only a few weeks ago and would not be back for some months. Alfred had remained lost despite Arthur's best efforts to find him. Leads turned out to be dead ends or the person believed to be Alfred had moved on with no sign of where he went and it did not help that the Fae were also looking for King Ivan and a third person had joined the missing list.

A year after their marriage, the Fae's wedding gift had borne fruit and Feliciano became with child and he gave birth to a baby girl but before he and Ludwig could name their daughter, she was stolen away. The last they saw of their little girl, she was in the arms of an old woman as she spirited the baby away through the nursery window. Feli and Ludwig were devastated and the Vargas family began to think of themselves as cursed.

Francis missed his other son and he missed his husband when he went searching for him. Matthew was his only solace and he loved his remaining son dearly. He lived for the times when Arthur came home and prayed for the day he would bring Alfred with him.

"Right!" he said, shaking off the sombre mood and pulling the contraption back as far as he could. "Let's fire this thing up." Francis began twiddling with the levers and handles on the contraption while Matthew gathered firewood and put it in the little furnace beneath the boiler. He lit it and used some bellows to fan the flames. The water in the boiler began to bubble and the steam pushed its way through the mechanics.

Francis climbed into the chair and strapped himself in with a belt attached to the chair and pushed a lever forward. The wheels turned and the apparatus began to move forward quickly and Francis managed to pull the lever back before it crashed into the wall again and gave a cry of victory.

"It's working!" Matthew gasped as Francis shut down the newly created horseless carriage. "It's really working."

"Hitch up the horse, son!" Francis shouted, excited that his invention was successful. "I'm off to the fair." The carriage gave a backfire and knocked him flying.

* * *

The next day, Matthew waved his father off as he rode away on the horse and cart with the horseless carriage loaded up, after having to dismantle the device and reassemble it because Francis forgot that he would have to get it out of the basement. Francis left in good spirits and the day was bright so Francis wore a hat to keep the sun off his head. The road ahead was straight and smooth and he whistled as he rode.

Hercules watched him leave and thought to himself, 'Now it begins!'

* * *

Francis's problems began in the woods. He quickly realised that, somehow, he had gotten lost and he stopped at a fork in the road with a signpost but the writing had been worn away by time and was unreadable so he looked at the map he had brought but that did not tell him anything so he put it away.

He looked at his two choices. One road was darkened by the woodland canopy but clear and more welcoming than the other choice which was darkened by something other than leaves and obscured by fog. There was really only one logical choice so Francis chose the foggy path. The horse was not pleased and tried to go the other way but Francis pulled the reins and forced him down the scary road.

"Come on, Pierre," he admonished. "It's a short cut!" Pierre was not convinced but did as he was told, against his better horse sense.

The path became darker as they went deeper and deeper into the woods and Francis realised that a mistake had been made and did what any self-respecting person would do. Blame the horse!

"Pierre, you brought us down the wrong path!"

Pierre was not listening. He was getting more and more spooked by the darkness and suddenly there was the howl of a wolf and that was too much for the frightened horse. He backed the cart up in panic and collided with a tree which awoke the bats that were sleeping in the trunk. As they flew out, Pierre reared up which threw Francis from the cart and galloped back the way they had come. The wild ride put a strain on the tack and it finally snapped, freeing Pierre from the cart that continue to trundle off on its own before rolling over a cliff, sending cart and contraption to the ground below, smashing everything to pieces. The world would have to wait a little longer for the horseless carriage.

Francis slowly picked himself off the ground, retrieving his hat and putting it back on his head, looking the way Pierre had gone and then the rain set in. Suddenly the wolf howled again but this time other wolves answered the call. Francis went to follow Pierre but wolves began to creep from the woods ahead of him.

Francis turned and ran.

He could hear the wolves howling and knew they were giving chase as he struggled to keep his footing on the path that was slowly turning to mud. It would take a miracle to escape them and he mentally said goodbye to Arthur, Alfred and Matthew because he did not think he was going to survive.

That was until he suddenly ran into some metal gates in a high stone wall that he had not noticed before. He pushed at the gates and at first they refused to budge. Just when Francis thought he was going to die within sight of safety as he heard the wolves running toward him, the gates suddenly sprang open and Francis fell inside. The wolves were feet away from him so he kicked the gates shut on them. The wolves snarled at him through the bars but, realising that their prey had eluded them, sloped off in search of another target.

Picking himself up, Francis brushed the raindrops off his clothes, only to have them replaced by more and looked around and found himself in a courtyard and, ahead of him, loomed a large castle with high turrets. It was dark and foreboding but a better prospect than the wolves so he made his way across the over-grown courtyard to the castle's main door, leaving his hat on the ground.

He would wish he had taken his chances with the wolves.

* * *

The massive front doors were surprisingly unlocked when Francis tried them after no one answered his knock. They creaked open on to an unlit gloomy hallway and a dark staircase. On a table stood a clock and a Chinese lantern, the only thing giving off any light but it was low. Francis took a few steps into the hall.

"Keep quiet and maybe he'll go away." came a barely audible whisper.

"Bonjour!" Francis called. "I don't mean to intrude but I got lost in the woods, my horse has bolted and I need a place to stay."

"Oh, have a heart, aru," a voice whispered back. Francis looked round for the speaker.

"Bonjour!" he called again. "Is there any one there?"

"Not a word, Yao," the clock whispered to the lantern. "Don't say another word!"

"Please," Francis called out. "I'm cold and wet!"

"Toris!" The lantern begged. The clock had arms either side of its body and he used one to put his hand over the lantern's mouth.

"You know what His Majesty will do if he finds him here." The lantern's response was to increase the candle's strength to make his outer case hot. The clock pulled his hand away with a yelp.

"Of course, juéshì (sir)," a voice with a Chinese accent replied. "You are most welcome, aru." Francis picked up the Chinese lantern to look for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there?" he called when he could see no one.

"I'm here, aru," the lantern said. Francis swung around in the voice's direction and looked desperately around. Using one of the tassels hanging from the bottom, the lantern tapped Francis on the shoulder. Francis did not know why but he looked at the lantern which for some reason had a mouth and a pair of brown eyes.

"Nín hǎo (Hello)" Francis dropped the lantern and it hit the ground. It used one of its tassels to rub its outer casing as the clock ran up in fear.

"Now you've done it," the clock's east European accent was torn between anger and panic. "When his Majesty finds out …..." The clock broke off his tirade as Francis picked it up, fascinated at a usually inanimate object moving around.

"How is this happening?" he mused as he turned the clock upside down and shook it. The clock screamed in fright. He turned the clock round and ran his fingers over the foot supports, making the clock laugh and began turning the winding key. The clock began to panic again as it became in danger of being over-wound and then Francis opened the front of the clock and began messing with the pendulum. This was going too far and the clock took exception to this violation of its internal workings.

"Stop that!" it demanded, indignantly, shutting the little door on Francis's finger. The lantern gave a little laugh at the clock's predicament. Francis realised he may have crossed lines.

"Désolé (Sorry)" he apologised. "It's just that ….." He suddenly broke off and gave a violent sneeze.

"You are soak to the bone, aru," the lantern said. "Come with me. We'll have you warmed up in no time." And walking on his tassels, he began leading Francis to a room with a roaring fire.

"No, no, no!" the clock ordered. "You know what will happen if the master finds him here." The clock found himself on his own and ran after them to try and limit the damage.

At the top of the staircase, a large dark shadow and a 'kolkolkol' sound would have told the clock that the damage was already done.

* * *

Ivan watched as a stranger was led into his domain by his own servants. They knew better than that! He did not want people around to stare at him and possibly bring a frightened mob to his door. He might be the victim of a curse but they would just see him as a threat, a monster and would act accordingly.

Time and the curse had taken their toll on Ivan. Before the curse he had been a stern but fair man but, whether it was his inability to use his magic, his unbeating heart or the vodka he had taken to drinking to numb the memories, he had grown cold and sometimes even cruel when he drank too much and some of his subjects had suffered at his hands which he regretted when he sobered up. But then the pain would begin again and he would drink. The change in the weather had brought on another bout of self-pity and, while he was not totally drunk, he had drunk enough to fuel his anger.

He ran down the stairs after the stranger and his disobedient servants.

* * *

Toris could not believe what he was seeing.

Yao was directing the stranger towards the chair in front of the fire in a room lit with candles. THE KING'S CHAIR! A coat stand was wrapping a blanket around the blonde's shoulders and the footstool, General Winter, named after one of Ivan's former mentors, was wiggling under the man's feet.

"I'm not seeing this!" Toris denied, covering his eyes. "I'm having a nightmare!" Then he was almost run over by a tea trolley that came to a stop by Francis.

"Would you like a cup of tea, sir?" the teapot wearing glasses sitting on the trolley asked in another east European accent. "It'll warm you up in no time."

"Thank you, Monsieur," Francis replied as the teapot began to pour tea into a chipped teacup.

"NO TEA!"

"Hold still, Raivis," the teapot ordered and filled the teacup. Milk and sugar were added and Francis picked up the teacup with a _merci_.

When he took a sip, the teacup started giggling.

"His beard tickles, Eduard," it said. Francis took the cup away from his mouth and saw that the cup had violet/blue eyes and a mouth.

"Hello," he said to the teacup with a laugh. All the objects in the castle were falling over themselves to be welcoming to the first guest to the castle for over thirty years and it was a warm, comforting atmosphere.

Which came to an abrupt end.

A door slammed open and a wind blew out all the candles, causing the fire to flutter and the objects around Francis to cower in fear.

"Kolkolkolkolkolkol!" The sound crept Francis out.

"Oh no!" Raivis squeaked, trembling and hiding behind Eduard. Francis could sense something behind the chair. Something big.

"What are you doing here?" the voice was almost childlike but slurred, with an element of threat. Francis looked left and his eyes widened at what he saw. A white beast with fangs and horns with violet eyes, wearing a scarf and trousers? stared at him and he pushed himself back into the chair.

"Désolé!" Francis begged.

"You are not welcome here," the beast said, calmly but it was all the more scary for that. The smell of some sort of alcohol on the beast's breath did not reassure. Francis tried to press further back into the chair.

"What are you staring at?" The tone changed and anger laced the beast's words. Francis shook his head numbly.

"Come to stare at the beast, da!" the threat level raised. Yao tried to defuse the situation.

"Allow me to explain, sire," he said. "The gentleman was lost in the woods. I thought ….." The beast roared. Toris chirped up.

"I would like to say that I did not agree with this, Your Majesty. I tried to tell them but …..." The beast roared even louder.

"Please, Monsieur," Francis plead. "I meant no harm. I was just looking for a place to stay..."

"I'll give you somewhere to stay," the beast replied and grabbed Francis by the front of his clothes, dragging him from the chair and out of the room.

"Please, no," Francis begged. The servants also begged mercy for the man but the beast did not listen as he dragged his victim down into the dungeon basement.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matthew makes a deal …..


	3. Prisoner Of The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an unwanted proposal and a deal …..

 

** **Chapter 3 : Prisoner of the Beast** **

  
  


Luciano and Flavio pushed the branches of the tree aside and stared at the little cottage with the waterwheel that sat on the edge of the village where Matthew and his father lived with calculating eyes.

Flavio laughed.

"Matthew's going to get the surprise of his life," he chortled.

"Yes," Luciano agreed with a grin. "This is his lucky day!" He moved away, letting the branch go and it flicked back, making Flavio duck before it hit him in the face.

Luciano stepped onto the village green where most of the village had gathered, either willingly or 'invited', with the exception of Hercules who was 'shopping for stock'. Tables were set up with food, bunting hung everywhere and there was a priest in attendance. In short everything was set up for a matrimonial celebration.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming to my wedding," Luciano announced. "I guess I better go and propose to the boy." Everyone began laughing except for Jeane, Carmen and Julchen who cried on each other's shoulders.

"This is so unawesome!" Julchen wailed. Luciano turned to Flavio.

"Remember," he said. "When Matthew and I come through that door..."

"I strike up the band," Flavio replied and waved a conductor's baton. A group of musicians with instruments began playing  _ Here Comes The Bride!  _ Luciano slapped him upside the head.

"NOT NOW!"

"Ow!"

* * *

Matthew had finished his morning chores and sat at the breakfast table, absorbed in his book. The prince was under a spell of transformation and had met the one who could break the spell. As he turned the page there was a knock on the door.

Leaving the book open on the table, Matthew went to the door and pulled down the viewer, an invention of his father's for seeing who was outside before opening the door. Through it he saw Luciano's distorted image, rolled his eyes and groaned. What did he want?

Silly question! Matthew knew what Luciano wanted but he was not interested. When would Luciano get the message? Matthew thought about just pretending that he was not home but he knew how persistent Luciano could be so Matthew decided he would just get rid of him as soon as possible and opened the door.

"Luciano!" he pretended to be stunned. "What can I do for you!" Luciano strolled in like he owned the place.

"It's not what you can do for me," he said confidently. "It's what I can do for you and today is …. " he caught his reflection in one of Matthew's cooking pans and began to mess with his hair and examine his teeth. When he was satisfied he continued.

"Today is the day I make all your dreams come true," he said, confidently.

"Oh really?" Matthew replied with a disbelieving tone. "And just what are my dreams?" Not what Luciano thought, that was for sure.

"The same as everyone else!" Luciano claimed, clueless as always. "Like my dream. A cosy home. My latest kill roasting on the fire." He sat in the chair Matthew had vacated, putting his muddy boots on Matthew's book and toed them off. Matthew tried to subtly hold his nose, wondering when was the last time Luciano changed his socks.

"My little husband massaging my feet," Luciano continued while Matthew was thinking 'not likely'. "While the little ones play with the dogs. We'll get six or seven!"

"Dogs?" Matthew said, playing dumb, rescuing his book and not liking where this conversation was going.

"No," Luciano replied, indulgently. "Six or seven boys, just like me." Matthew shuddered as he cleaned the mud from the book. Imagining six or seven Lucianos was the stuff of nightmares.

"And you know who I have in mind for that little husband, Matt?" Matthew had a horrible feeling he did. And there was that Matt. Again!

"Not really," he lied, putting his book away and trying to put some space between him and Luciano. Luciano came up behind him.

"You, Mattie." Now Mattie! If the assumption of marriage was too far, MATTIE definitely was. Matthew shot toward the front door.

"Luciano," he said, reaching to open the door. "I'm flattered, really I am!" Matthew had to press his back against the door as Luciano put a hand on either side of Matthew's head and leaning in.

"So you'll marry me?" he asked but it sounded like an order and leaned in further for a kiss. Matthew felt around with his hand for the door knob.

"I'm sorry, Luci," Matthew smirked as he found the door knob. "But you should have someone who actually deserves you." And he turned the knob, thinking that no one deserved Luciano, no one deserved that punishment.

The door opened and Matthew ducked under Luciano's arm as he fell out of the door. He gave a little wave as Luciano landed in a mud puddle and shut the door, opening it again only to throw Luciano's boots out onto the porch.

It had taken a nose full of sludge for Luciano to realise that he had been rejected. Not only rejected but rejected in full view of the entire village as he heard the band playing. He pulled himself up from the watery, brown muck to glare at Flavio who had drawn even more attention to the fact that he was groom-less by starting the band. Flavio turned to see his twin glaring at him.

"So," he said nervously as he noticed that Matthew was nowhere to be seen. "How did it go?" Luciano grabbed the front of his brother's suit.

"Matthew will be my husband," he snarled. "I won't rest until he is!" Luciano dropped Flavio and stormed off to change and then go to the tavern to lick his wounds.

* * *

"Has he gone?"

The chicken on the porch did not answer but Matthew looked round and saw the coast was clear of Luciano, his twin, his lackeys and anyone else. Kumajirou looked out too. He had been asleep and awoke to the sound of Luciano's voice but stayed out of the way. Matthew could not decide if it had really happened or had he just had a nightmare.

"He asked me to marry him!" he exclaimed to Kuma. "Me! The husband of that thuggish, brainless …." Then the potion kicked in again.

" _ _ Matthieu Maestri, no way, no way!? _ _ _ "  _ he mocked.  _ " _ _ _ In this town, don't plan to stay. When Dad returns, I'll leave with him from this provincial town. _ _ _ " _

He put on his cloak and ran into the field behind the cottage with his pet bear to calm down after the experience. Did Luciano really expect him to become Matthieu Maestri, his little husband. Not in this lifetime.

When his dad came back he would suggest that they all go to find Alfred. That way, what was left of their family could stay together and Matthew would see the world.

" _ _ I want adventure, want to roam, _ _ _ "  _ he declared.  _ " _ _ _ Travel the land, sea and foam. And maybe we'll bring Alfred home, someday, someday, someday! _ _ _ " _

A frightened  _ neigh _ pulled Matthew out of the song he did not know he was singing and he turned to see Pierre galloping toward him, cart-less and where was ….

Matthew grabbed Pierre's rein and brought the horse to a halt. He looked round but could see no sign of Francis.

"Where's Papa?" Matthew did not know why he was asking Pierre. It was not like the horse could answer. He climbed on to the horse's back after putting Kumajirou on first.

"You have to take me to him, Pierre," he ordered as he climbed on. He turned the horse back the way he had come and galloped to his father's rescue.

* * *

Pierre took Matthew and Kumajirou back to where he had bolted and left Francis. Travelling a little further, they finally came to the gate. Seeing something inside, Matthew dismounted, opened the gate and went inside. He knelt down and picked up Francis's hat.

"Papa!" He had to be here. Matthew went and led Pierre inside, Kumajirou still on his back, and headed for the castle.

* * *

"You just had to invite him in, didn't you," Toris was stuck in a tirade. "You knew how His Majesty would react! The last time he was like this, Raivis was the one that paid, he was lucky he wasn't smashed. But you had to let the man in. Sit in His Majesty's chair. Pet the cat!" Yao just shrugged.

"I was being hospitable, aru," he replied. Yao was more concerned about the man languishing in the dungeon and how he could try to persuade King Ivan to let him out. The dungeon was cold and damp and the man's health would be affected by it but perhaps Toris was right. If they had not encouraged the poor man to stay, he might be safe now.

* * *

Matthew pushed the castle doors open and stepped into the hallway which was devoid of life, followed by Kuma. His father had to be here somewhere. Someone had to be here somewhere.

"Papa!" he called out. "Is there anyone here?" Silence met his question but he would not leave until he was sure his father was not here.

He found a corridor leading to the left and followed it.

* * *

"I swear that candle in the middle of you has melted too much," Toris was still ranting. Yao had long since stopped listening. "You slack-jawed, waxy-eared ….."

"Papa!"

Both clock and lantern turned toward the unexpected voice as a figure in a cloak walking past the door of the room they were arguing in, followed by what looked like a white bear cub.

"Did you see that, aru!" Yao gasped.

They ran to the doorway to get a look at the stranger in their midst in time to see a young man with blonde hair turn a corner.

"It's a boy, aru."

"I can see that," Toris snapped.

"This is a sign," Yao proclaimed. "He's the one. The one to break the curse, aru." Yao ran after Matthew as fast as his tassels could carry him.

"Wait for me," Toris called and ran after him.

* * *

Raivis hopped up to Eduard who was coaxing all the pots into the wash bowl for a clean before retiring to the cupboard. He was practically giddy with excitement.

"Brother," he said, eagerly. "I just saw a boy in the castle." Eduard rolled his eyes. Raivis could get lonely sometimes, with no one his own age to hang around with and he would amuse himself with making up tales.

"Enough stories, Raivis," he scolded and used his spout to nudge Raivis toward the other crockery in the suds.

"No, really, Eduard," the teacup insisted. "I saw him!"

"Not another word!" Eduard said and knocked Raivis into the bowl. Suddenly a pink duster ran in.

"A boy!" Mei, Yao's fiancée, exclaimed. "I saw a boy in the castle." And she hurried away.

"Told you, Eduard," came a voice from the bowl.

* * *

Yao and Toris were not the only ones to hear Matthew calling for his father. Ivan was sat beside the table that held the sunflower that was covered with the glass dome and he held a bottle of vodka. It gave him a sense of warmth, a false sense but warmth all the same. He had not been truly warm since the curse.

"You shouldn't drink so much," the glass dome said in his head. "It doesn't help, you know that!"

It was always like this. Emil, now the glass dome, would try to talk Ivan out of drinking himself into oblivion. And Ivan would never listen.

"It makes me feel warm," Ivan replied. "And I'm feeling cold."

He was about to take a drink when Matthew's voice reached him.

Another intruder. It looked like the Frenchman would have company.

* * *

Matthew was becoming lost in this vast edifice as he made turn after turn without seeing a single soul. He was beginning to lose hope when he saw a glow by a corner that seemed to be moving like someone carrying a lantern.

"Please, wait," Matthew called out, running toward the light, Kuma on his heels. "I'm looking for my father." When he turned the corner he saw the light in a doorway going down some stairs and followed it down. He past a Chinese lantern in a small niche and did not notice a pair of eyes watch him pass.

Matthew lost sight of the light as he past the lantern and figured whoever was carrying it left it there and continued on so Matthew did as well. The stairway gave out into a corridor that was lit with fire torches and lined with what looked suspiciously like cell doors. Matthew took a torch and held it in front of him.

"Hello," he called. "Anybody?"

"Matthieu!"

Matthew turned toward the sound of his father's voice and saw an arm sticking out between the bars of one of the doors. He ran to the door and grabbed his father's hand.

"Papa, I found you," he breathed. "Your hands are like ice!"

"Matthieu, you have to leave now," Francis begged, coughing from the night in the cold and damp. "Get out. Save yourself!" Matthew was adamant.

"Not without you," he said, trying the door.

"Matthieu, leave now!"

Ivan had seen and heard enough to know that this was the man's son but he was bored with the situation already. The boy had his back to him and did not notice Ivan come up behind him. The next thing Matthew knew, he was grabbed by his shoulder, turned and flung against the wall. He lost his grip on the torch, which flew into a puddle of water and his attacker was shrouded in darkness beyond the torches near the entrance to the dungeon. Kuma went to growl but the shadow had him cowering against the cell door.

"Who's there?" Matthew asked, fearfully.

Ivan saw the boy's face for the first time. It was a slightly boyish face, framed with chin length blonde hair with a curly strand that fell between a pair of frightened eyes almost the same shade as his own.

_ _ BABUMP! _ _

* * *

Up in the west wing, the sunflower began to glow and Emil used the last spell he had learnt before his transformation. He could not freeze or reverse time but he could slow it to a crawl.

The space within the glass dome began to glow blue.

* * *

It had been so long since he had felt the sensation Ivan almost did not recognise it and it almost brought him to his knees.

_ _ BABUMP, BABUMP! _ _

His heart was beating! This young man had started his heart beating in his cold chest again! He was his soul mate.

He realised the boy had asked him a question.

"The master of this castle," Ivan replied, avoiding saying who he was exactly.

"I've come for my father," Matthew explained to the shadow with the Russian accent. "Please let him out. He's sick!" Ivan could see that but, if he released the father, the boy would leave and he could not allow that. This young man was his only chance at breaking the curse.

"Then he should not have trespassed," Ivan said adamantly. He had to think of some way of having this young man stay. He would keep him prisoner if he had to but that would not win him the boy's love.

"Please," Matthew begged. "I'll do anything you ask." Ivan doubted the boy would do what he really wanted.

"Would you take his place?" Matthew gasped in shock.

"NO!" Francis almost screamed. "Matthieu, no, don't!" Matthew took his father's hand again and then looked back at the figure in the shadows.

"If I did," he said, shakily. "Would you let him go?" Ivan's newly beating heart skipped a beat. He was so close to the boy's agreement to stay but he needed a guarantee.

"Yes," he replied. "But you must agree to remain here forever." Francis went berserk.

"NO!" Matthew, however, examined the shadow beyond the light. It was huge. Could he stay with this person, whoever it was? He had to see him.

"Step into the light," he said. The shadow moved forward and the light shone down.

White fur glowed in the light and glinted off a pair of twisted horns that sat above a beastly face with a snout and a mouth that sported two sets of fangs. The only thing that was remotely human were the violet eyes.

Matthew pressed himself back against the wall, his eyes wide at the sight of this beast that held his father's fate in his claws and turned to look at his father.

"Matthieu, you can't," Francis begged, shaking his head. "We lost Alfred, we can't lose you!" But Matthew stood up and walked up to the beast. He had no choice.

"You have my word," he said. Ivan almost jumped for triumphant joy.

"Da!" he agreed and went to open the cell door. Matthew fell to his knees as what he had agreed to sank in. Francis evaded the beast's claws as he ran to his son.

"Matthieu, don't do this," he begged. "I've lived my life. What will I tell your dad?" Ivan grabbed Francis and dragged him from the dungeon.

"MATTHIEU!"

"PAPA!"

Ivan dragged Francis into the courtyard, Francis begging the beast to let his son go. Ivan ignored Francis's pleas, threw him into a wheel-less carriage and shut the door.

“No!” Francis cried, trying and failing to open the door and reached through the carriage window, trying to appeal to the Beast. “Please, let Matthew go. I can't lose my son!”

"Your son is mine now, by his own agreement," Ivan stated and then spoke to the carriage. "Take him to the village!" The carriage stood up on wooden feet and walked spider-like away from the castle.

Matthew ran into the cell that had held his father and looked through the small barred window that peeked just above floor level and watched as his father was carried out of his sight.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Ivan's wooing technique needs work. A lot of work.....


	4. Bad Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan's failing at courtship and Luciano is sulking ….. and scheming ….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More crappy song writing. I am sorry..

 

** _**Chapter 4 : Bad Start** _ **

  
  


Ivan made his way back down to the dungeons to the young man who held his fate in his hands. He savoured the heartbeat bumping away in his chest and he realised he did not feel as cold as he did before. It had been so long since he had felt warmth that even a little was welcome. Now he turned his mind to his soul mate and how to woo him but he was at a disadvantage. Who could love someone who looked like him? As he walked down the steps to the dungeons, his mood got darker as pessimism wore him down.

"Majesty, aru!"

"WHAT!" he snapped at Yao who was still in the wall niche. Yao wrung his tassels, nervously.

"I was thinking," he replied, cautiously. "Since the young man is going to be with us for quite a while, you might want to offer him more comfortable accommodation, aru." Ivan looked at Yao in disbelief. Did he think Ivan would court this Matthew in the dungeon?

He snorted and almost blew out Yao's candle before storming on his way.

"Perhaps not," Yao squeaked.

* * *

Matthew sat in the corner of the cell, his face buried in Kumajirou's fur, weeping for the loss of his father as Ivan came into the cell. Matthew looked up at him through tear-drenched eyes.

"You didn't even let me say goodbye!" he accused and buried his face again. "I'll never see him again and I didn't get to say goodbye." Ivan knew then he had taken a step back before he had taken a step forward. He had to make sure his next move would improve Matthew's opinion of him. Or, at least, did not make it worse.

"I'll show you to your room," he said. Matthew looked up confused.

"My room?" he replied, questioningly. "But I thought ….."

"Do you want to stay here?" Ivan almost winced as he heard himself snapping at Matthew.

"No," Matthew hugged Kuma to him.

"Then come along!"

* * *

Ivan led Matthew through the passages of the castle, carrying Yao to light the way in the dark hallways. He looked back at the boy who glanced nervously at shadow-covered coats-of-arms and gargoyles worked into the frescos in the ceiling.

The castle had once been a place of light and cheer but it was not only the inhabitants of the castle that Natalya's curse had changed. The castle became a place of darkness and fear. Ivan knew he was part of the fear. Even when he was sober, he had bouts of self-pity that translated into acts of petty cruelty which he suspected had something to do with his unbeating heart. His treatment of Matthew was proof positive of that. Before his heart had started beating again, he would probably have left Matthew in the cell rather than take him somewhere more comfortable, like he had left Matthew's father.

He was not proud of that.

A stray tear leaked from Matthew's eye and Ivan was at a loss as to how to alleviate his misery.

"Talk to him. aru!" Yao whispered. Yes, thought Ivan. Talking would be a start but what to say?

"I hope you like it here," he said and inwardly groaned. What a trite thing to say! Yao waved his tassels at Ivan to continue.

"This castle's your home now so you may go anyway you wish," he told Matthew then realised that there were places Matthew should not go. "Except the Master Wing!" Matthew looked up at that.

"What's in the…..?"

"NO QUESTIONS, IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Ivan almost shouted and Matthew jumped backwards in fright. Ivan cursed himself. He had done it again. Matthew was drawing away from him and Ivan decided not to speak again until they reached the room he was giving to Matthew for his use.

He opened the door and was surprised to see the room had been prepared and made warm and welcoming. It was the best guest room but it had not been used in over thirty years and so had needed seeing to. The servants must have heard about their guest and rushed to make the room ready. At least something had gone right. He must thank his staff for their diligence.

"This is your room," Ivan said. "Make yourself at home."

Matthew looked around at the four poster bed, the large wardrobe and the warm fire blazing away in the fire place. It looked more welcoming than the rest of the castle. He put Kuma on the ground and the bear began to explore their new domain.

"Ask him to dinner, aru!" hissed Yao, frustrated by his master's lack of action in courting the boy.

"You will join me for dinner!" the Russian commanded. "That's NOT a request!" He shut the door firmly as Matthew turned toward him in shock.

Matthew just stared at the door the beast had almost slammed on him then he turned and threw himself on the bed. Everything that had happened, losing his father, practically imprisoned by a beast, cut off from everything and everyone he knew crashed in on him and he finally broke down and cried himself to sleep.

* * *

The weather was colder outside of the village tavern but it was unnoticed by the patrons inside, supping ale from tankards near the roaring fire. It was particularly unnoticed by Luciano who sat in his own chair in front of the fire, throwing a pity party with his ego as guest of honour.

"Who does he think he is?" he fumed, grabbed the tankards that Flavio had brought over from the landlord and flinging them into the fire, almost putting it out. "How dare he reject ME!"

"More beer?" Flavio asked. He had been looking forward to his drink.

"Why?" Luciano snapped. "It doesn't help. Nothing does. I'm disgraced!"

"Who? You!" Flavio had to get Luciano feeling good about himself again and again came the singing.

 

“ _You're at the top, why feeling so down?”_ he sang. _“You're the greatest of all in this town. Matthew is blind if he can't see, I confess....”_

“ _Luci, you're the best!”_ The other men in the tavern cheered and sang their part.

“ _You're the strongest around, this we all know,”_ they added. _“And we've all got the bruises to show. You are the one who can stand the test....”_

“ _Luci, you're the best!”_

  
  


“ _As fast as the galloping stallion”_

“ _Possessing the eagle's eye.”_

“ _The fox's cunning while hunting his prey.”_

“ _It wouldn't surprise us if you could fly!”_ Luciano's mood began to lift as the song stoked his ego and he began singing too.

“ _All that is true so believe what you see_

“ _But just one more thing, DON'T CALL ME LUCI!”_ Everyone stood a step back but came back for one more verse.

“ _Matthew will see what a fool he has been,”_ Flavio sang to smooth his brother's ruffled feathers. “ _To say no to the greatest man there's ever been.”_ Then others joined in.

“ _He'll come back, he'll kneel to you and he'll confess Luci......”_ Luciano turned and gave them all a warning stare.

“ _Luciano, you're the best!”_

Luciano smiled and remembered, in times like this, why he brought Flavio along when Natalya told he and his gang to lie low. Flavio was a real boost to the ego. He had not been part of the kidnapping of Prince Lovino but Luciano would not leave his twin behind. Flavio knew who their father had been but, unlike Luciano, Flavio had not been as hung up on revenge as Luciano, despite, as Luciano saw it, being robbed of their birth right.

They were really Vargas and should have been acknowledged as such but they had been ignored by the royal family and left to make their way on their own.

The kidnapping was fitting penance.

"Matthew's a fool to pass you up," Flavio broke into Luciano's musing. "I'm sure he'll realise his mistake and come back, begging for you to forgive him and to propose again. He'd be insane not to!"

Luciano had no doubt that Flavio was right. Matthew would come crawling back, especially if Luciano could find a way to encourage him to.

BANG!

The tavern door flew open and the icy wind, along with a distraught Francis, blew in.

"You got to help me," he begged. "He's got him, got him locked in a dungeon!" He grabbed hold of the landlord.

"Who?" the landlord asked.

"Matthieu," Francis said, shaking the landlord. "We have to go now, there's no time to lose." Luciano watched Francis dart around the room, trying to get people moving, an amusing spectacle but he was making no sense.

"Slow down, Francis," he chuckled. "Now, who's got Matthew locked in a dungeon?"

"A beast!" Francis blurted. "A monstrous, hideous beast!" Silence fell in the tavern, followed by mocking laughter. Francis was surrounded by Luciano's lackeys.

"Is it a big beast?" one of them sneered but Francis was too frantic to realise he was being mocked.

"Huge!"

"Ugly?" another laughed. Others were chuckling now.

"Hideously ugly!" Francis clarified. Luciano's final stooge chirped up.

"With sharp, cruel fangs."

"Yes!" shouted Francis. "Please, will you help me?" Luciano smirked.

"Don't worry, Francis," he said. "We'll help you out!"

"Thank you!" Francis replied with heartfelt gratitude as Luciano signalled his posse. They helped him out the tavern door and threw him into the icy wind outside.

"Crazy Francis," Luciano's first lackey smirked. "He's always good for a laugh." That set the cogs in Luciano's head moving.

"Crazy Francis," he repeated, thoughtfully. Francis was the only family Matthew seemed to have, other than the imaginary 'Fae' father and mythical twin brother. He would do anything for his Papa and Luciano was not above using that.

Then he was singing again.

“ _Matthew's Papa is the key to my plan,” he mused. “He would go far to save his old man. Francis will be lunatic or wedding guest.”_ Luciano rubbed his hands together and smirked.

“ _Oh yes...I'm the best!”_ He turned to Flavio and spoke normally.

"I've thinking, Flavio _ "  _ he said. "That mad Frenchman is Matt's father and I can use that to bring Mattie to heel. I'm going to marry Matt and now I know how!" Luciano whispered his idea into Flavio's ear and his eyes grew wide as Luciano's plan unfolded.

"Do you think he would ….?"

"Faced with the alternative?" Luciano pointed out. He knew Matthew would not risk his father.

"Now I get it!" Flavio replied. "Let's go and get you married, Luci!"

"AND I SAID STOP CALLING ME LUCI!"

* * *

Outside, Francis bemoaned the fact that he had no one to help him. Then he made a decision. He would find a friendly Fae or magical creature and ask them to try to get a message to Arthur.

And then he would find the castle again and try to retrieve Matthew.

* * *

Matthew was still sleeping after his little crying fit and was awakened by a knocking on the door. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. Kumajirou was sleeping, curled up, at the bottom of the bed.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"My name is Eduard," came a muffled reply. "May I come in?" Matthew went to the door and opened it. There was a tea trolley outside but no one was with it and no one in the corridor outside. Matthew was confused until the trolley moved forward and the teapot suddenly said, "I thought you might like some tea."

Matthew backed up in shock and collided with the wardrobe.

"Ouch, like, be careful!"

Matthew whirled around as the wardrobe began moving and a pair of eyes and a mouth appeared in the decorative top of the wardrobe.

"Impossible," he gasped. The wardrobe seemed to shrug.

"Maybe," the wardrobe said with a Polish accent. "But, like, here we are! I'm Feliks. I'm, like, totes pleased to meet you." A chipped teacup hopped around the teapot.

"I told you he was cute, didn't I, brother," the teacup said.

"Yes, you did, Raivis," Eduard replied. "Now hold still." He poured some tea into Raivis who hopped over to Matthew. "Careful now! Don't spill."

Matthew smiled at the teacup as he picked him up and took a sip.

"Want to see me do a trick?"

The teacup seemed to take a deep breath and then blew bubbles in the tea. Matthew chuckled.

"Raivis!" Eduard admonished and Raivis looked sheepish.

"Sorry!"

"That was a very brave thing you did," the teapot, Eduard, commented.

"The whole castle, like, thinks so," Feliks added. Matthew just sat down on the bed, despondently.

"But I'll never see my Papa again," he replied. "And if my dad comes home and finds me gone..."

"Your dad?" Eduard said, questioningly.

"I have two fathers," Matthew explained. "My other dad's a Fae. Right now, he's searching for my twin brother. A spell went wrong and he disappeared." Eduard and Feliks looked at each other. A Fae relative was a complication. If this dad of Matthew's came home and found his other son missing, he would come looking and, if he found Matthew here, could use his magic to attack the castle to get his son back. With the curse sealing Ivan's magic, they would not have a chance.

But if they could get Ivan and Matthew to fall in love before that...

"It'll all turn out right in the end," Eduard reassured. "You'll see. Oh, I better get back, there's dinner to get on the table. Come on, Raivis!" Raivis hopped onto the trolley.

"Bye," he called to Matthew as the trolley rolled out of the door.

"Now we should, like, get you ready for dinner," Feliks said, opening his doors and showing a rack of suits and dresses on hangers and they began to slide across the rail, showing outfit after outfit before stopping at a fine, blue suit. "You'll look, like, totes fabulous in this." and waited for Matthew to take the suit but Matthew held his hands up to refuse the clothing.

"Thank you," he said, politely. "But I'm not going to dinner."

"But you must!" Feliks gasped. Ivan would not like this. Then there was a knock on the door and a clock came in. He bowed.

"Sir," it said. "Dinner is served!"

* * *

Eduard and Yao had joined Ivan in the dining room but Matthew had yet to appear. Toris had been dispatched to escort Matthew to dinner but he still was not there.

"What's keeping him?" Ivan huffed, pacing back and forth. "I told him to come down. Where is he?"

"You'll need to be patient, Sire," Eduard advised. "It's been a hard day for the young man. He's given up his freedom and lost his father. You must give him some time to come to terms with everything."

"Your Majesty," Yao said. "You do know that this is the boy who can break the curse, aru?"

"Of course, I do," Ivan replied, tersely. "My beating heart is telling me but he's so adorable and I'm …. well, look at me!" Yao and Eduard looked at each other.

"You just have to get him to see the real you, Sire," Eduard said confidently. Ivan averted his eyes.

"I don't know how," he replied, sadly.

"Well you can start by smartening yourself up," Eduard said with a little steel in his voice. Ivan had let himself go in the past years. "Try to act like a gentleman."

"Give him a dashing smile aru," Yao suggested. Ivan tried to smile but it was so scary with all those fangs that Yao and Eduard took a step back.

"But don't frighten the boy," Eduard warned.

"Compliment him constantly, aru."

"But mean it!" Ivan's head was beginning to hurt.

"And above all, CONTROL YOUR TEMPER!" they said together.

Knock, knock!

Ivan looked toward the door, heart pounding as it opened and he waited to see Matthew come through but, at first, he saw nothing then he looked down and Toris stood in the doorway.

"Well," he asked. "Where is he?"

Toris was trembling. Ivan was not going to like what he was going tell him and he tried to stall as much as he could.

"He," he said. "Oh yes, the boy... Well, he's …... Things being what they are ….He's about to...."

It wasn't working. Ivan's aura grew darker and darker with every word. Toris gave up.

"He's not coming!"

"KolkolkolKolKolKOLKOLKOLKOL!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Ivan's temper makes things worse....


	5. Dinner And A Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The servants disobey Ivan to make Matthew feel better and Ivan makes things worse....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off to the Manchester (Manchester, England) tomorrow for the MCM Film and Comic Con and I'm looking forward to it. We've got nice weather right now but I'm keeping my fingers crossed because Manchester is known as 'The Rainy City' so wish me luck!

** _**Chapter 5 : Dinner And A Show** _ **

  
  


"KolkolkolkolKOLKOLKOLKOL!"

The sound of Ivan's displeasure sounded through the castle and everyone scattered as he raced through the passages towards the guest room that Matthew was refusing to leave. He had given an order and expected it to be obeyed. Nobody said no to him!

He reached Matthew's door and began hammering on it.

"COME OUT!" he thundered. As Yao, Eduard and Toris caught him up, the shouting made them nervous. Ivan never shouted. He always spoke calmly, creepily so, with that dark aura that warned everyone that Ivan was actually angry. The last time he shouted was, well, actually before the curse.

"NO!" came Matthew's reply through the door. He had decided that, while he had agreed to stay in the castle, that did not mean he had to do what Ivan ordered and, if he did not want to go to dinner with the Beast, he was not going to. That familiar and frightening dark aura was forming around Ivan.

"Come out!" he demanded. "Or I'll break the door down." Yao decided to intervene before Ivan ruined his chances for good.

"Sire, forgive me," he said. "But I am sure that won't help you win the young man's heart, aru." Ivan gave Yao an intimidating stare but no more than that.

"Please, Your Majesty," Toris plead. "Try to be a gentleman!" Ivan snorted.

"But he's being difficult," he huffed.

"You need to take things gently," Eduard advised. Ivan did not like being told how to deal with his guest but he had to admit that they may be right. He turned back to the door.

"Join me for dinner!" he said quickly. It was not a request but not exactly a demand either.

"I'm not hungry" Ivan looked at his servants with a smug, self-righteous look that Matthew's behaviour was proving him right. Yao waved his tassels at Ivan to try again.

"It would give me great pleasure," he lightly growled through gritted teeth. "If you would join me for dinner."

"Say please!" Toris whispered at him.

"Please!"

"No!" Ivan finally snapped.

"Fine," he bellowed. "Then go ahead and STARVE! He turned to the others and ordered, "No food for him unless he eats with me!" Then he stormed away to the Master wing. Yao, Eduard and Toris looked at each other.

"That went well," Eduard commented with a hint of sarcasm. Toris sighed.

"Well," he said. "We better go and clean up." Then he turned to Yao.

"You better stay here," he ordered. "And let us know the moment he comes out." This time Yao sighed as they walked away.

"Why me, aru?"

* * *

Ivan arrived at the Master wing in a foul mood at Matthew's disobedience. How could he court him through a door?

"What's wrong with the boy?" he fumed. "I told him to come down." Emil's voice rang in his head.

"It appears you haven't given him much reason to want your company," he said. "You imprisoned his father, gave demands and apparently yelled at him. You need to treat him differently if you want him to fall in love with you. You have a lot of ground to make up." Ivan knew Emil was right but he had a hard time believing that Matthew would ever see passed his cursed façade. Spotting the magic mirror on the table beside the glass dome Icelandic half-ling, he snatched it up.

"Show me the boy!" he commanded. The mirror glowed and a picture of Matthew sat on his bed, talking to Feliks showed in the glass.

"The master's not so bad when you, like, get to know him," Feliks said, trying to talk Matthew round. "You'll, totes, like him if you give him a chance."

"I don't want to get to know him," Matthew replied, adamantly crossing his arms. "I don't want to have anything to do with him." Ivan resignedly put the mirror down.

"It's no use," he said, pessimistically. He'll never see me as anything but a monster." And he sighed at the hopelessness of it all.

* * *

Matthew put his head outside the door and looked round. He could not see anyone but he could hear two voices talking. Then he saw a Chinese lantern and a pink duster talking and as he sneaked past, he heard some of their conversation.

"Mei, have faith," the lantern said. "Everything will soon be restored and then we can marry, aru"

"But will it, Yao?" the duster replied. "His Majesty made a very bad start. We'll never be normal again if he goes on this way."

His Majesty? Normal? What was that all about?

"He'll do better," Yao insisted. "His behaviour's already changed. Despite his anger, he has not struck out at anyone. And he shouted rather than the creepy calm tone he usually speaks with before punishing someone. If he continues to change, his soul mate will soon see him for what he truly is and I guarantee, soon all will be back the way it was, aru."

' _Weird conversation!_ ' Matthew thought.

"I hope so," Mei replied. Yao went to put his tassels around Mei when he spotted Matthew walking quietly down the corridor, followed by Kumajirou.

"Aiyah!"

* * *

In the kitchen, a disgruntled staff were putting everything away.

"I cooked and slaved all day and for what," the stove grumbled. "A culinary masterpiece gone to waste." The stove was annoyed because he had especially made French dishes for their guest but he was not going to even taste them which had the stove grumbling with a good few expletives thrown in.

"Stop complaining, Gordon" Eduard ordered. "It's been a difficult day for everyone."

"Well I think the boy was just being stubborn," Toris commented. "After all, the master did say please." Eduard understood how Matthew was feeling, though. After everything that had happened to him, Matthew was not going to be co-operative just yet. He needed time to settled down and accept his new life. That was not going to happen right away and Ivan needed to give Matthew just a little space. And stop yelling at him.

"But if Ivan doesn't learn to control his temper," he warned. "He'll never …." A breeze came from somewhere.

"Splendid to see you up and about, young sir," Toris suddenly blurted and every one turned toward the door where Matthew was standing with his pet bear. "I'm Toris, the head of the household." Yao suddenly ran in and put himself between Toris and Matthew. Toris huffed.

"And this is Yao," he introduced with an annoyed tone. "If there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please ask?" Inside, Toris was cursing Yao for letting the boy leave the room without warning them. Matthew's stomach growled.

"I am a little hungry," he replied, sheepishly. Eduard saw an opportunity to undo some of Ivan's damage.

"Hear that!" he called out. "He's hungry. Stoke the fire, polish the silver, wake the china."

"Remember what the master said," Toris warned.

"After the day he's had," Eduard replied. "I'm not about to let the poor boy go hungry." Toris knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine," he huffed. "Glass of water, crust of bread..."

"Toris," Yao exclaimed. "You should be ashamed. The boy's not a prisoner he's our guest, aru!"

"All right," Toris conceded. "But keep it down. If the master should hear..."

"Of course!" Yao replied, ushering Matthew into the dining room and letting the door swing back and catapulting Toris across the kitchen. No one realised that they had been hit by the singing potion that had floated off Matthew on the breeze from the door.

Yao lead Matthew to a chair with a flourish.

"Now young sir," he announced. "Pull up your chair and sit back as the dining room proudly presents your dinner, aru." And the singing began.

“ _It's been a long day,”_ Yao sang. _“It's been all kinds of bad. Your spirits and fortunes are low. We can't change what happened nor bring back what you had but we can give a dinner and a show.”_

All the dishes and cutlery joined Yao and sang and danced with him, entertaining Matthew without them even knowing that they were doing it. Even Eduard was singing in the kitchen as food, prepared by Gordon the chef, was sent out.

“ _What pleases your palate? Oh, tell us please,”_ the other dishes and cutlery sang. _“Your favourite dishes let us know. Tell your order so that we can. Give the best dinner and a show.”_ Napkins spun around the table like little dancers while cutlery did acrobats over Matthew's head to his delight. Dishes bearing food paraded in front of Matthew for his selection and he tried a little of each.

“ _Coq au vin, Bouillabaisse_ _or_ _even some_ _Escargot. No_ _request you make will have us phased, for your dinner and a show.”_ Yao took centre stage again.

“ _For some many years, no one to impress, to send their compliments to the chef. Your presence here means more than you know. You give us this chance to let our talents flow.”_ T he song began its climax as Matthew tucked into a delicious looking slice of gateaux with obvious enjoyment.

“ _And now we'll sing you to your rest, just so that you know,”_ the whole ensemble sang. “ _ That we hope you enjoyed and will return again for another dinner and a show.”  _ All the cutlery and crockery and napkin ware gave one last dance flourish before ending with bows in the finale and Matthew  clapped as Kumajirou helped himself to a fish dish on the table.

"That was wonderful," he praised. Yao and the others did not know they had been putting on a show and thought Matthew was referring to the food. Toris yawned.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" he exclaimed. "Time for bed, I think." But Matthew shook his head.

"I can't sleep now," he said, adamantly. "I've never been in an enchanted castle before."

"W. who said this was an enchanted castle?" Toris stammered and turned to Yao. "Was it you?"

"I figured it out for myself," Matthew chuckled. After all, it was obvious. "I'd love a tour."

"Of course," Yao replied, eagerly. "I'd be happy to show you around, aru." Toris nudged him.

"Are you sure that's wise?" he whispered. "What if he goes prying in certain places?" Matthew could not hear what Toris was saying but he was sure he was trying to talk Yao out of showing Matthew the castle.

"Why don't you show me?" he cajoled and appealed to Toris's vanity. "I'm sure there's a lot you can tell me with everything you must know about the castle." Toris blushed and capitulated.

* * *

As Yao and Toris took Matthew around the castle, Toris went on and on about the architecture of the castle of which Matthew had long since grown bored. As Toris prosed on about flying buttresses, Matthew's attention was drawn to a staircase that the clock and lantern had ignored.

Toris turned to tell Matthew some titbit and realised he was not there. He looked round and saw the thing he feared most. Matthew was climbing the staircase to the Master Wing!

Matthew was on the fourth stair when Toris and Yao blocked his way. They clearly did not want him going up those stairs.

"What's up there?" he asked.

"Nothing!" Toris replied, a little too quickly. "It's dusty and very boring in the Master Wing!" Yao rolled his eyes at Toris's monumental mistake.

"So that's the Master Wing," Matthew mused, peering into the darkness. "I wonder what he's hiding up there?"

"The master isn't hiding anything," Yao denied. Matthew was not convinced.

"Then why is it forbidden?" Matthew went up another stair and his way was blocked again.

"Perhaps there's something else you'd like to see," Toris said, almost in a panic. "We have tapestries dating back to..." Matthew took another step.

"Another time," he replied as he climbed the stairs.

"What about the gardens," Toris suggested. "Or the library..." That got Matthew's attention and turned to Toris.

"You have a library!" he exclaimed. Toris knew he had Matthew's interest now.

"We have more books than you can read in a lifetime," he bragged as he and Yao began leading Matthew down and away from the stairs. "Our library is very extensive with books from all around the world."

As they walked down the passageway with the clock and lantern touting the virtues of the library they got further ahead while Matthew slowed up until he was far enough away and turned back.

It was not that Matthew did not want to see the library. He just wanted to see the Master Wing more.

* * *

He reached the top of the stairs which led on to a small corridor at the end of which stood a pair of huge doors. He pulled one open and crept warily into the room beyond.

The room was wrecked. Broken furniture littered the chamber and everything was covered in dust. A painting on the wall caught Matthew's eye. It was shredded and he pulled the canvas up to see what the painting was of. It seemed to be of a man but he could not see much of the face but the eyes. A violet colour, like his.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a light and as he looked toward it, what he saw amazed him. In a glass dome there was a sunflower floating in glowing blue light. The dome and the table it stood on were the only things intact and clean.

Matthew approached the table and carefully removed the glass dome.

* * *

"IVAN!"

Emil's voice sounded in Ivan's head, interrupting Ivan's sleep. The tone and the fact that Emil had used his name and not  _ 'Your Majesty'  _ told him something serious was happening.

Ivan ran from his bedchamber and headed for his private sitting room.

* * *

As Matthew put the dome to one side, he could have sworn he felt the glass vibrate, almost in distress. To his surprise, the sunflower continued to float. The petals were beginning to droop and one of them fell to the table below and Matthew reached out to touch one of the other petals with his finger.

Suddenly Ivan was between him and the sunflower.

Ivan grabbed the glass dome and placed it back over the flower. Emil sighed with relief as his spell took hold of the flower again. Had he been removed from it much longer, the flower would have decayed at a rapid rate to make up for the time it had been delayed to a crawl.

Ivan looked at Matthew in shock at what he had almost had done, albeit unknowingly. Then shock gave way to anger.

"Why are you here?" he growled, lowly. Matthew knew he had messed up somehow.

"I'm sorry!" he apologised but Ivan was too enraged to listen.

"I warned you never to come here," he stormed. "Do you know what you could have DONE!" Matthew did not know why but he knew he was in trouble.

"I didn't mean any harm," he insisted.

"Get out!" Ivan bellowed as he hit out at an already wrecked chair and sent it flying across the room. "GET OUT!"

Matthew ran for his life, out of the room with his heart pounding and dashed down the stairs as Toris and Yao were coming up them, looking for Matthew.

"Please," Yao begged. "Stop!" But Matthew ran passed them. He could not stay, not after that!

"I'm not staying here!" he said, adamantly as he grabbed his cloak and ran out into the snow to collect Pierre from the stables.

* * *

Ivan's rage continued for a minute or two and he trashed an already destroyed room. When he finally cooled down he realised that he had just terrified Matthew into running from him.

He buried his face in his paws in defeat.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chef....naughty words....yes, it's 'that' Gordon.  
> Next : Ivan's wooing improves and Arthur receives news of Alfred but bad news about Matthew...


	6. Things Are Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan makes a little progress, Luciano is plotting and Arthur gets bad news …...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a great time at Manchester but it lived up to its nickname. Ah well, can't have everything, can you?

 

**_**Chapter 6 : Things Are Coming Together** _ **

  


Matthew galloped through the gates and into the woods that were now coated in freshly fallen snow, Pierre picking up on his rider's fear and it was spurring him on through the snow. The sudden howling of wolves motivated the frightened horse even further. As the hungry wolves came into sight, Matthew decided to race across an open area to avoid being slowed down by trees.

He did not realise the open area was a snow covered, frozen lake until the ice cracked and broke under Pierre, sending both horse and rider into the icy water.

Pierre scrambled desperately at the edges of the break in the ice, trying to get back onto solid ground, along with some of the wolves who had also fallen in the freezing water. Pierre managed to get out of the water and made it to the bank. Most of the wolves also managed to escaped the lake's icy grip. One did not.

Once free of the water and back on solid ground, Matthew spurred Pierre on, the other wolves in pursuit.

* * *

Ivan raced through the woods, following the hoof-prints in the snow. He could not let Matthew go, even if the boy hated him right now. He had to bring him back and work hard to gain the young man's trust and then, hopefully, his love. It seemed to Ivan to be a monumental feat. One he had no choice but to attempt.

He just had to catch Matthew before he made it out of the woods.

* * *

Matthew and Pierre were back in the woods but the wolves were gaining ground. Perversely, Matthew realised, in his panic, he had left Kumajirou behind at the castle but he was safer than Matthew right now as he tried to out-race the wolves who were spurred on by hunger.

Matthew's luck finally ran out when a couple of wolves jumped out in front of Pierre, causing him to rear up and unseat Matthew who cried out as he fell. As Matthew released the reins, they flew into the trees and became entangled in the branches, trapping Pierre and leaving him vulnerable to the wolves attack.

After recovering from his fall, Matthew looked up from the ground to see the ravenous wolves close in on Pierre and looked around for something to defend himself and his horse.

Pierre's eyes rolled around in fear as he watched death close in on him and pulled on the trapped reins. He gave a frightened whinny when a wolf jumped onto his back and prepared to take a bite of the horse's flesh.

The bite never came as a stout stick, wielded by Matthew, smacked the wolf off Pierre's back. He hit another wolf and then tried to dislodge the reins from the grip of the tree branch. They refused to budge and the wolves were closing in. Both Pierre and Matthew were trapped so the only thing Matthew could do was try to fend the wolves off.

Matthew stood beside Pierre, swinging his stick at any wolf that came too near but there were too many of them. Matthew only just managed to move his leg before one wolf could take a bite out of his ankle.

Then one wolf sank its teeth into the stick and ripped it from Matthew's grasp. Suddenly Matthew was pulled off his feet by a wolf that had his cloak in his teeth and, as he tried to pull the cloak from the wolf's mouth, he heard a growl and looked round to see another wolf, eyeing him like a delicious cut of meat.

Matthew screamed in fear and covered his head with his arms as death in wolf form sprang toward him.

* * *

Ivan's freshly beating heart almost stopped when he saw the hole in the ice in the lake. Visions of Matthew, trapped lifeless, under the ice tormented his mind as he looked for any sign of him.

Then he heard Matthew's frightened cry out in the distance. His first thought was _He's alive!_ And his heart surged with relief. Then the second was _He's in danger!_

He raced off in the direction of Matthew's cry and found his trail again. He ran through the forest and found Matthew on the ground surrounded by wolves with one about to leap on him, fangs bared. And he heard Matthew scream.

Ivan did not hesitate for a second.

* * *

Matthew pressed his face into the snow and kept his arms over his head, expecting to feel the sharp teeth of the wolf to pierce his skin at any second. Instead, he heard an enraged roar and looked up and saw Ivan standing over him with the wolf in his claws like he had caught it in mid-leap. With another roar, he threw the wolf against a tree and then smacked another wolf away.

The rest of the pack began to circle the new threat and moved in to attack. Ivan found himself surrounded but one advantage of his beast body was it was big and strong as he struck one wolf after another but they were many and one or two managed to inflict injuries on Ivan but he continued to fight, throwing wolves left and right. After one last wolf was thrown against another tree, the other wolves decided this meal was too much trouble and ran off in retreat.

But the pack had inflicted enough damage. With one last look toward Matthew to make sure he was safe, Ivan could not stay upright any more. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, unconscious, in the snow.

Matthew watched Ivan fall and when he did not get back up, he believed this was his chance to escape. He finally managed to untangle Pierre's reins from the branches and he began to mount up.

But his conscience prodded him. Ivan had saved his life and he could not leave him to die in the woods. His father and his papa would be ashamed of such ingratitude, besides, he had to return for Kuma.

After a struggle, Matthew managed to get Ivan's body onto Pierre's back and they made their way back to the castle.

* * *

Matthew gathered medical supplies to tend to Ivan's injuries. Ivan had regained consciousness and he was a really awful patient. As Matthew entered the drawing room, Ivan was sat by the roaring fire, licking the bloody wounds that were staining his white fur red and pink. That was not hygienic.

"Don't do that!" Matthew scolded, putting the bowl of warm water on the floor beside Ivan and put the rag he had draped over his arm in the water, soaking it through and ringing it out. He went to use it on the injuries on Ivan's arm. Ivan moved it away from Matthew. The servants watching backed away. This was not going to end well.

"Stop it!" Matthew ordered, trying to get the rag on the gash. "Just hold still." Ivan roared as the cloth made contact with the open wound.

"THAT HURT!" he roared in Matthew's face. Matthew did not appreciate that at all.

“Of course it hurts,” he shouted back. "But If you didn't move around it wouldn't hurt as much." Both of them were spoiling for a fight.

"If you hadn't run away," Ivan snapped. "I wouldn't have been injured." He was determined to have the last word.

"If you hadn't yelled at me and scared me," Matthew snapped back. "I wouldn't have run away."

"Well you shouldn't have been in the Master Wing," Ivan shot back, smugly.

"And you should learn to control your temper," Ivan did not have a comeback for that. Matthew took a breath to calm his own temper and remembered he owed a debt.

"By the way," he said. "I never thanked you for saving my life." Ivan had not been expecting that and his own temper cooled.

"You're welcome!"

* * *

Hercules sat by the window in his closed book shop and looked out into the night toward the inn and what looked like a prison cart outside except the cart had _Le Maison des Loons_ painted on the side.

 

Roughly translated, The Insane Asylum.

 

Luciano _Vargas_ Maestri was making his move. It was time for Hercules to make his!

* * *

Flavio put a tankard of ale in front of both his brother and his guest before sitting down and sipping his own drink. The head of the asylum, a Russian simply known as Viktor, put his hands around the tankard. He had brown hair, reddish eyes and wore a black coat and a red scarf. He also looked somewhat put out.

"I don't usually leave the asylum at night, moy drug (my friend)," he said. "You said you would make it worth my while." Luciano tossed a bag of coins on to the table in front of the Russian. Viktor pulled a coin from the bag and examined it. Satisfied, he continued, "How can I help you?"

"It's like this," Luciano explained. "I've decided I want to marry Matthew but he's a little uncertain."

"He threw him out of the house," Flavio chortled and then face-planted into his ale when Luciano smacked him in the back of the head.

"Now everyone knows his father's a lunatic," Luciano elaborated. "What with all those insane inventions of his, claiming to be married to a Fae and Matthew having a twin brother that no one had ever seen or heard of. He was in here tonight with some tall tale about a castle with some kind of beast as its master." Viktor was not sure where Luciano was going with this. He knew about Francis but he was hardly a threat.

"Francis Bonnefoy is harmless," he stated. Luciano slammed his tankard on the table.

"I don't care!" he snapped. "Matthew would do anything to prevent his father being locked up." Flavio giggled.

"Even marry HIM!" And then ran before Luciano could hit him again. Now Viktor understood.

"I see," he mused. "So you want me to throw Francis in the asylum unless his son agrees to marry you!" Luciano sat back in his chair with a self-satisfied smile. Viktor smiled too. This could be quite amusing.

"That IS despicable," he chuckled. "I love it!"

* * *

Francis had not been able to find a magical being, not even a snow fairy so he changed into warmer clothing and sturdier boots, packed some food and grabbed a lantern and spare candles.

"If no one will help me," he said as he lit the lantern. "I'll get Matthieu back myself."

He left the cottage, went to the road and followed it. Just as he was out of sight, Luciano, Flavio and Viktor with his cohorts from the asylum came up to the cottage. Luciano hammered on the door but naturally no one answered.

Luciano grabbed Flavio.

"They can't stay away forever," he growled, angry that he would not be able to put his plan into action immediately. "You stay right here until they come back. Then come and get me." Flavio was planted down by the door.

"Out in the snow!" he complained. Luciano glared at him and he shut up while Luciano, Viktor and his orderlies walked back to the village.

"Thanks a lot, LUCI," Flavio huffed, ramming his elbow into the wall behind him.

And bringing an avalanche of snow down on his head.

* * *

"Your Majesty!"

Romulus turned to see a man with dark hair with a split cowlick, green eyes and holding a cat. Romulus looked around as he was in his private chambers and this man should not have been able to enter.

"How did you get in here?" Romulus demanded.

"I walked in," the man replied. "Your Majesty, the man you seek. The one who kidnapped your eldest son! You can find him in a village called Ville Bois, thirty miles south of Lyon in the Kingdom of France."

"Are you sure it's the same man?" Romulus demanded.

"Luciano Maestri! Yes, I'm sure, Sire," The man assured. "Although you may be surprised by the man's true identity."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll soon see," the man said as he scratched his cat behind the ears. "But you must catch him soon, Your Majesty, before it's too late!" Romulus went to the door to his chambers and opened it.

"Get me the Captain of the Guard," he ordered the guard outside. The guard ran to carry out the order and Romulus turned back to the man with the cat.

He was gone!

* * *

Ivan watched as Matthew walked with Kumajirou in the snow covered courtyard. It had been a few days since the wolves incident and somehow Ivan and Matthew had grown comfortable with each other and Ivan wanted to make Matthew happy.

"I want to do something," he said to Toris and Yao, stood beside him. "Something that Matthew will like but I don't know what"

"There's the usual stuff," Toris replied. "Chocolates, bouquets, promises that get broken."

"Such a cynic, Toris," Yao scolded. "This must be special, something that means something to Matthew... I have it, aru!"

* * *

Ivan had his paws over Matthew's eyes as he moved him down the passageway toward a set of large doors. They stopped and he had to uncover Matthew's eyes to opened the door.

"Keep your eyes closed," he ordered and took his paws away. Matthew kept his eyes closed and smiled.

Ivan opened the doors, took Matthew's hands and pulled him through into the room beyond.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Matthew asked.

"Nyet! Wait a moment." Matthew heard the sound of curtains being drawn back and he could see light through his eyelids.

"All right. Now!"

Matthew opened his eyes and the most amazing sight met them. Books sat on shelves that reached to the high ceiling of the biggest library he could ever hope to see. Light came in from two windows that reached from floor to ceiling. Matthew turned in a circle and saw that, apart from the windows, doors and a fireplace, the shelves went right around the room, filled with books without a space to spare on the walls.

He could spend a year in here and not even get through one set of shelves. They had everything here. Science, philosophy, history, fantasy, every genre possible.

Ivan watched Matthew's eyes take in the library which had books from all around the world, from every kingdom. Yao had been right about the library, it had clearly caught Matthew's attention.

"Do you like it, Matvey?" he asked, nervously. Matthew was still staring around the room.

"Like it!" he gasped. "It's wonderful. I've never seen so many books. I love it!"

"Then it's yours," Ivan replied. It did his heart good to see Matthew so happy.

"Oh thank you!" Matthew ran to one of the shelves to look at the books there as the servants looked on, delighted.

"Now this is a step in the right direction," Eduard commented with a grin.

"Indeed," Yao agreed. "At this rate, the curse will be broken in no time, aru."

"It's certainly encouraging," Toris replied with hope. Raivis had not been able to see past everyone.

"What's encouraging?"

* * *

__Across the ocean...._ _

 

Arthur was in the New World, a continent discovered a few decades earlier. It was not a kingdom like the others, although it was governed by a single leader. It was divided into areas referred to as _states_ and right now he was standing outside a orphanage in the state of New York, in human guise, where he had finally got his first solid lead about his son, Alfred.

A boy had been brought to the orphanage eight years early by the name of Alfred who matched the description of Arthur's son. That meant Alfred had arrived here, across the sea, four years after he was supposed to arrive at their home with his other father and brother. The boy had only remembered his first name and he had been brought in by the man who had found him. A Frederick Jones.

So Alfred was now known as Alfred F Jones.

That was all they knew. At the age of 14 Alfred had run away from the orphanage with two other boys who coincidently were twins who were also called Jones. It was suggested that they might have signed on aboard one of the ships that sailed out of the harbour.

Arthur made his way to the harbour and began visiting the dock side inns, asking sailors and ship captains about Alfred, giving a description of his missing boy.

He got lucky when he talked to the captain of the __Freedom_ _ who confirmed he had signed the lads on as cabin boys. But he could not believe it when he told Arthur that they had jumped ship in Italy.

It looked like he was going full circle.

Arthur was leaving the inn when he heard someone calling him.

"Your Excellency!"

Arthur looked round and saw a man with a two-strand cowlick and a cat. Nobody in the New World called magic users 'Your Excellency'. Belief in magic had dwindled on this continent so the man had to be from one of the kingdoms who knew the courtesies accorded to the magic users.

Arthur approached the man.

"Hello, Arthur of the Kirkland Clan," the man greeted. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"You know me, sir," he replied. "Who might I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"My name is Hercules Kapusi," the man replied. "I'm afraid I bring bad tidings."

"What tidings?" Arthur had a bad feeling.

"Your other son, Matthew has disappeared," Hercules informed him. "Your husband, Francis, mentioned a castle and Matthew has not been seen since." Arthur began to breathe fast.

"I can't..." he stammered. "I can't lose another son."

"I don't believe your son is at risk where he is," Hercules reassured him. "But trouble is brewing. Both your husband and son need you."

"Yes," Arthur agreed. "Thank you, my friend. Anything you wish is yours if it's in my power."

"I require nothing," Hercules replied. "Go to your family." Arthur nodded and brought out his wand and, after saying thank you and farewell to Hercules, waved it. A green light formed a cocoon around Arthur and he vanished as he teleported to France.

Hercules smiled.

"One last thing to do!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Matthew Inadvertently gives Ivan news of his family and others come searching ….


	7. When Did It Start?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could Love be in the air?....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of my songwriting...sorry!

 

**_**Chapter 7 : When Did It Start?** _ **

  


Ivan and Matthew went for a walk in the snow the next day, a first for Ivan since the curse. Matthew had brought some seed to feed the hungry birds who would no doubt struggle to find food in the snow. Ivan stood back as Matthew scattered some of the seed to entice the birds down and knelt down with seed in his hand. A few little birds flew down and one brave bird jumped into Matthew's hand and began to feed. It did not surprise Ivan that Matthew could entice the birds from the trees. He was so adorable and charming. When the bird hopped off his hand, Matthew stood up and came back to Ivan. He put Ivan's paws together, put seed into them and encouraged Ivan to approach the birds

Ivan knelt down but it was awkward with his bulky body. The birds were wary of the large, white beast and when he tried to get closer, they flew back from him. Ivan's mood slumped.

Matthew came and knelt down beside him.

"Like this," he said, gently and picked up some of the seed. He laid it out in a trail and the little brave bird began to peck at the seed and follow the trail. As he did with Matthew, he flew into Ivan's paws and began to feast on the seed there.

Ivan dared not move for fear of scaring the little bird away but his heart filled with happiness as it fed unconcerned and unafraid in his claw-tipped paws. As the other birds saw their little friend, feeding in the hands of the white beast who made no move to catch or harm him, they found their own courage and joined him.

The sight of the birds, feeding in his hands gave him hope. If these little birds could see beyond the monster, perhaps Matthew could too.

Little did he know of the thoughts running through Matthew's mind. As a song!

 _' When did he become so sweet? '_ he mused. _'_ __When he was so mean at the start? When did he stop and when did he start to make his way into my heart? And when did he stop being beastly? Spot the moment, I don't think I can! When did I stop seeing the fur and the horns and looked into the eyes of the man?'_ _

A bird flew from Ivan on to Matthew's finger and Matthew put his hand on Ivan's without hesitation or shiver. And transferred some magic dust to him. Ivan watched as Matthew stood up to take the bird to a nearby tree and wondered what Matthew's brief touch meant and saw him quickly look back at him. And the dust kicked in.

' _ _When did he stop being frightened?_ _ _,'_ Ivan pondered. _'_ __Stop shuddering whenever we touched?. Oh! could it be? Nyet! It's just me! I'm thinking about this too much! And when he looked, was he lacking that glint of fear in his eyes? Does he, at least, see the man, not the beast, Now, wouldn't that be a surprise!_ _ _'_

Matthew looked back at Ivan in affection, then hid behind the tree trunk when he realised what he was doing. He leant against the tree, trying to make sense of what he was feeling.

' _ _So scary and strange!_ _ _,'_ he thought. _'_ __And when did this all start? When did this unlikely Prince Charming start making his way to my heart!_ _ _'_

Matthew looked back at Ivan as something startled the birds and he ducked as they flapped around him. Seized by some mischievous imp, Matthew grabbed some snow, patted it to a ball and let fly.

After the birds flapped away, Ivan looked up just in time for a snowball to hit him in the face.

* * *

Up in the castle, the servants who had been watching the couple, held their breath, waiting for Ivan's reaction. Even before the curse, his response to something like this would not be good.

* * *

Matthew chuckled at Ivan's face when the snowball hit him and then he saw an evil smirk on Ivan's furry face as he bent down and began gathering snow. A large amount of snow.

Ivan hoisted the super-sized snowball above him and dropped it on his own head when Matthew hit him in the face again with another ball of snow.

The servants watched the snowball fight with, not only relief but amazement. They had never seen the king so playful and it made them hopeful. If Matthew could pull off this miracle...

"Something's there!" Eduard declared with a smile. "There's definitely something happening!"

"What's happening?" Raivis asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older, little brother."

* * *

In the library, Ivan and Matthew sat drinking hot coco. Well, Matthew was. Ivan had declined as his beast body did not lend itself to good eating or drinking manners and he did not want Matthew to think less of him.

A thought occurred to Matthew.

"If you never leave the castle," he mused. "How do you keep your food supplies from running out?"

"Occasionally I do send some of my servants out to replenish," Ivan replied. "They go under the cover of darkness so they can't be seen but they always leave payment. When it becomes too noticeable, we move the castle."

"I did noticed that nobody here is French," Matthew commented. "I mean, you're Russian. So if you can move the castle, you must be able to do magic."

"No," Ivan replied. "I was capable once but my magic's been sealed ever since ..." Ivan stopped when he realised he was about to say _ever since the curse._ That would damn not only him and his servants but Matthew as well.

"Ever since …..?"

"It doesn't matter," Ivan answered. "The point is I can't produce magic myself but the castle is magically imbued so I can use the magic in the walls to shift its location." Matthew wondered if this is why no one had come looking for him.

"Have we left France?" he asked. He was afraid of the answer. If they were no longer near his home, no one would find him and his dad would have someone else to look for.

"No," Ivan replied. "We've only recently moved the castle and it will take a while for the magic to recharge." Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. There was still a chance he would be found but then he wondered what would happen to Beast if he was.

"Yes," he commented. "Something this big would take time, smaller things not so much." Ivan looked at Matthew.

"You know of magical matters?" Matthew nodded.

"My other father is a Fae," he replied. Ivan pondered this. If Matthew had a magical father then surely he was capable of magic himself. So why did he not use it to free himself? As magically sealed as he was, Ivan would be powerless against him.

"If you're the son of a Fae," he said. "Surely you can do magic." Matthew shook his head.

"I'm adopted," he replied. "My real parents died of a fever. My brother and I were put in an orphanage but then we were taken into the woods. There was a witch who ate children but Dad, Papa and some friends saved Alfred and me and they adopted us." Ivan did not like the sound of that. If Matthew's magical father should come looking for him...

"I'm surprised your Fae father hasn't come to get you back yet," he commented. Matthew's mood sank a little.

"He's looking for my twin," he replied. "When we were eight, Dad had to take an infant prince into hiding. He'd been cursed by the Dark Sorceress, Natalya." Ivan's head shot up.

"Natalya!"

"You know her!"

"We're acquainted, unfortunately," Ivan replied. No way would he tell Matthew she was his sister. "Please continue."

"Well, Natalya cursed Prince Feliciano of Italy to die before the end of his sixteenth birthday after pricking his finger on a spinning wheel spindle," Matthew related. "A friend of Dad's was able to transmute the curse to just sleep but they decided to hide Feliciano until he was past sixteen."

"Sensible," Ivan commented. "Once he was beyond his sixteenth birthday, the curse would have no power."

"Well anyway," Matthew continued. "Dad didn't want to miss out on Alfred and I growing up so he cast a Tempus spell to send us and Papa through time sixteen years. We arrived but Alfred didn't. He let go of Papa's hand." Ivan realised what had gone wrong. A Tempus spell involving two or more people meant they had to stay in physical contact to anchor each other. Matthew's twin could have ended up anywhere, any when.

"Dad's looking for him now," Matthew said. "He comes home every now and then but it'll be a while before he returns." Ivan was glad to hear that but Matthew sounded sad to Ivan's ears so he changed the subject.

"What happened to Prince Feliciano?" he asked. Matthew smiled a little.

"Oh, Natalya succeeded," he replied. "The Prince fell into a deep sleep but he had fallen in love and Dad's friend had also said the True Love's Kiss would wake him up." Ivan smiled.

"True Love is often the death knell for dark magic," he replied.

"Well, His fiancé, Prince Ludwig tried to get to him," Matthew replied. "But Natalya got in his way. They had a fierce fight and Ludwig finally destroyed Natalya Then he kissed Feliciano and he woke up."

 _Destroyed Natalya! Natalya was dead!_ Ivan wondered how he felt about this. Even after all she had done, she had still been his sister. He felt a moment of hatred for this Prince Ludwig but then looked at Matvey and he wondered. If he had been in Prince Ludwig's shoes and it was Matvey he needed to save and he had to kill Natalya to do it, would he? His sister had been insane, he was living proof of that. She would not have listened to reason and it would be wrong to allow an innocent to suffer because of her insanity and if that innocent was Matvey...

Yes, he would! It would have cost him, emotionally but he would have destroyed Natalya to save Matvey.

"It's good that Natalya is gone then," he said, more to himself than anyone else but Matthew heard.

"Yes," he replied. "She did a lot of harm, even to her own family." Ivan looked at Matthew. People knew what Natalya had done?

"Harm?" he asked, carefully.

"Yes," Matthew replied. "Prince Feliciano, his brother, Prince Lovino, even her own brother and sister, King Ivan of the Russias and Princess Katyusha of Ukraine." Ivan made a mental note of asking about the other Italian prince but right now he wanted to know what Matthew knew about himself and Katyusha.

"What about her brother and sister?" Ivan asked.

"She made them disappear," Matthew replied. "Princess Katyusha was found ten years ago. Natalya turned her into a baby and blocked her memories which would only return when she married the man she loved. She married the now King Gilbert of Prussia and that's when she was found."

"That True Love thing again," Ivan mused. "What about King Ivan?" He knew the answer but wanted to hear it anyway.

"Nobody knows," Matthew said. "But we're still looking. The Fae promised Katyusha they would." It made Ivan feel happy that he had not been forgotten and he was glad to know Katyusha was safe and well.

So much harm. So much insane pettiness. Yes, it was better that Natalya was gone.

"Would you like to read a book?" Matthew asked. Ivan shrugged.

"I've never been much of a reader," he replied. "Apart from books on magic. These were mostly for guests and the servants." Ivan waved at the bookshelves. Matthew stood up.

"I'll go find a book and I'll read to you," he replied and went to the fantasy section on the far side of the room. Ivan made himself more comfortable by the fire.

Matthew looked at the selection on offer. There was much to choose from, what to read?

"Pardon me, sir," a drowsy voice sounded. "May I help you?" A set of steps on wheels, attached to the bookshelf, rolled toward him. Matthew had long since stopped being surprised when objects began talking to him.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm just looking for a book to read to Beast." Ivan had decided it would be a bad idea to tell Matthew his name. If he recognised it (and Ivan knew that was now likely) Matthew might ask awkward questions, questions Ivan could not answer without damning everyone.

"I know just the one," the steps replied and moved over two bookcases. "Seventh shelf up."

"Thank you," Matthew replied and began to climb carefully. When he reached the seventh shelf, he looked at the books and spotted something familiar. He pulled out a book and saw it was a copy of the one he had at home. A story of a prince under a curse that only True Love could break.

Matthew hugged the book to his chest and climbed back down the steps.

"Thank you," he said again to the steps. "Oh, I don't know your name?"

"Hercules," the steps replied. Matthew smiled.

"I have a friend in the village called Hercules," He told the steps

"What a coincidence!" the steps answered. "But you better go. The master is waiting." Matthew hurried back to Ivan.

"Who were you talking to?" Ivan asked.

"One of the servants," Matthew replied as he opened the book and began to read, Not realising that the story was not really fantasy for Ivan.

As they became engrossed in the book, they did not see the steps change form and become the bookshop keeper. He smiled at the couple and left the room.

* * *

A commotion sounded in the Royal Court of the Kingdom of France as a contingent of soldiers led by the captain of the Italian Royal guard were led into the throne room and they bowed to the Queen. Queen Michelle had been surprised when she was told that soldiers were requesting an audience with her.

King Romulus had instructed his captain to first seek permission from the Queen before proceeding to Ville Bois, a courtesy to the French court.

"King Romulus sends his deepest regards, Your Majesty," the Italian captain, Captain Renato announced.

"Welcome," Queen Michelle greeted the royal guards graciously. "How may I help you?"

"Your Majesty," the captain replied. "We seek your permission to travel to one of your villages in search of a criminal who committed a great offence against the Royal Family of Italy."

"What is this man's crime?" Michelle asked.

"The kidnapping of Prince Lovino, twenty-nine years ago," Renato replied. The court began to murmur.

"You believe a French citizen is responsible for this?" she asked, a little outraged but the guard soon set her mind at rest.

"No, Your Majesty," he replied. "He's Italian, he merely lives there. He and his gang are responsible for a string of crimes and we have information that he's hiding out in this village."

Queen Michelle did not like the idea of criminals using her country as a hiding place, especially one capable of such a transgression.

"You have my permission," she replied. "Some of my guards will accompany you and help you escort this man and any with him to the border. I do not want such people here!" The Captain bowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Soon a mixture of Italian and French soldiers were riding to Ville Bois.

* * *

Flavio was still keeping watch outside the cottage so he had no idea what was going on inside.

A cocoon of green light appeared and disappeared, leaving Arthur in its wake. He looked around the dark cottage, seeing no sight that anyone was there.

"Hello! Francis!" he called as he climbed the stairs to the bedrooms but the beds were neatly made and not slept in. He worried about his remaining family. Matthew, he knew was missing but where was Francis?

He went down into the basement but there were no signs there either but there was a whiff of that potion he had whipped up for festivals that one time. Some of the royals like to make sure their celebrations went with a bang. The entire pot was empty. Odd!

No one was here, that was plain. Both Matthew and Francis had vanished and Francis's latest invention that he had been working on when Arthur last visited was gone. Arthur guessed Francis had got it finished and maybe he had taken it with him. Arthur went outside and noticed that Pierre was not in the stable and the cart was missing. Had Francis taken those too?

That man in the New World, Hercules, had mentioned a castle so Arthur made his way to the road that led to the woods. One way or another, he was going to retrieve his husband and his son.

And no one and nothing was going to stop him.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> France was already taken so he could not be the King of France so I used Seychelles instead.   
> Next : Their first date.....


	8. Beauty And The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romantic night ahead.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of my song writing. If you've lasted this long....you're a bunch of masochists. XP

 

** _**Chapter 8 : Beauty And The Beast** _ **

  
  


Ivan never should have allowed them to talk him into this.

Right now he was in his room, in a bath being scrubbed, soaped and shampooed into oblivion by the hat rack while Yao stood by, giving advice which was making him nervous.

"Tonight's the night, aru," he stated as water was thrown over Ivan to rinse out the shampoo.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Ivan replied, combing the hair out of his eyes. He was very jittery about what had been arranged for tonight. Tonight would be Ivan and Matthew's 'Big Date'.

"Don't talk like that, Your Majesty," Yao scolded. "Be confident and bold. Daring would be good too, aru." Ivan took a deep breath as he rose from his bath.

"Confident," he chanted to himself to bolster his courage. "Bold, daring."

Ivan shook himself like a dog, sending water flying everywhere. Yao and other lit candle containing articles ran for cover. The hat rack pulled Ivan over to the dressing table mirror, sat him down and began to comb and trim his unruly white fur into some kind of style. Now that the threat of water dousing his candle was over, Yao hopped on to the dressing table to instruct Ivan on the night ahead.

"There'll be music," Yao said. "Candlelight. And when the moment is right, you'll confess your true feelings for Matthew, aru."

"Da, confess my..." Ivan replied before what Yao had said sank in. Confess his true feelings! "Nyet, nyet!"

"You care about Matthew, don't you, aru?" Yao asked.

"He made my heart beat," Ivan replied. "He made me feel warm again. Of course I care about him."

"Then you must tell him how you feel, aru," Yao was adamant about that as the hat rack finish what it was doing and stood back.

"There you are, Your Majesty," Yao announced. "You look so …..."

Bows were stuck in Ivan's fur and big ringlets fell below his chin. It was slightly reminiscent of the court wigs of France but Ivan was not impressed.

"You look so ….." Yao tried to find a good thing to say but Ivan told it like it was.

"Ridiculous!"

It was not what Yao was planning to say but Ivan was right. The look was down right silly so the hat rack started again. There was a knock on the door. It opened and Toris came in with a small smile on his face.

"The young gentleman awaits, Your Majesty!"

The moment had come.

* * *

Feliks had outdone himself.

Matthew stood at the top of the left branch of the staircase, looking so handsome in the suit Feliks had created for him. Matthew wore a white shirt with cream trousers and cravat with white stockings and gold dancing shoes, covered by a pale gold waistcoat with a thigh length jacket in old gold.

Ivan saw him from the top of the right branch and thought Matthew looked like an angel. A golden sunflower, shining like the sun. Ivan was dressed in a blue Russian military dress uniform with red edging and gold frogging with his scarf around his neck. Matthew thought Ivan had a noble bearing. His noble beast.

They came down the stairs and met at the top of the central staircase, giving each other a slight bow.

"You look wonderful, Matvey," Ivan commented. Matthew smiled. Unlike with Luciano, Matthew would not have minded if Beast had called him  _ Matt  _ or  _ Mattie _ but he like the idea of Beast having his own pet name for him.

"You look magnificent yourself," he returned the compliment. Ivan held out his arm and Matthew took it while they walked down the remaining stairs and they went to the ballroom that the servants had spent a full day airing and cleaning until it was back to its former glory. They sat down to the dinner that was laid out and Toris and Yao had cutlery with extra large handles created so that Ivan could grip them properly and eat with manners in Matthew's company.

* * *

Ivan and Matthew shared small talk as musical instruments who used to be musicians played softly while they dined.

"What was your life like in the village?" Ivan asked over the soup. He wanted to know everything about his Matvey.

"To tell the truth," Matthew replied. "Other than Papa and, maybe the bookshop owner, I didn't really relate to anyone in the village. I thought about asking my Dad if I could go with him to find Alfred the next time he came home." Ivan was glad he found Matthew when he did. Had Matthew's father had returned beforehand, Ivan might not have found Matthew for many years.

"No special person trying to court you?" Though Ivan was not sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

"There was one," Matthew admitted. "Luciano Maestri. He certainly thought he was special. I thought he was rude, arrogant and thought entirely too much of himself." Ivan was happy that the man who thought to take his Matvey from him had no chance.

"So," Ivan replied. "Not to your taste, this Luciano."

"Not someone who expects me to be thankful to have gained his attention," Matthew muttered.

"He took your acceptance for granted," Ivan commented, not liking this unknown man at all.

"He took everything in life for granted!" Matthew snorted. "I couldn't leave the cottage without him pestering me."

"You're safe from him here." Matthew smiled.

"When you talked about Natalya," Ivan said. "You mentioned a second Italian prince, Prince Lovino. What happened to him?"

"Natalya had him kidnapped when he was a baby," Matthew replied. "Some revenge for King Romulus not recognising her importance or some such thing. She turned him into her pet crow. When she was destroyed, Lovino became human again. He was found by his family and he married Prince Antonio, Crowned Prince of Spain."

"Another of Natalya's failed attempts at vengeance," Ivan commented and hoped she would fail again. Matthew did not want to talk about these things when this was meant to be a night for enjoyment. The music changed and Matthew got out of his seat to pull Ivan out of his.

"Dance with me," he demanded, wanting to cheer the mood back up, and pulled Ivan onto the ballroom floor. He put one of Ivan's paws on his waist and put his on Ivan's shoulder. Clasping his other hand, Matthew began to move Ivan around to the music.

After a momentary stiffness, Ivan relaxed and took over leading the dance. When he was in human form, he hosted many a state social event so he knew how to dance and he was pretty good at it. Matthew found the dance being taken out of his control and he was being whirled around the floor with expertise.

As they danced, Eduard, without even knowing he was doing it, began to sing, " _ _ Beauty and the beast, a most unlikely pairing! Who would have thought that these two would be sharing, this tender moment with candlelight above. Could this unlikely pair fall in love?” _ _

Matthew felt like he was flying around the room, carried by Ivan's strong arms as he whirled them both across the floor. Ivan was happy to have Matthew in his arms, leading him easily through the dance. He never wanted to let his Matvey go.

_ _ 'With a single heartbeat, everything has changed! In a single breath, the world was rearranged. Two hearts beat as one, it's only just begun!" _ _

The other servants came to watch as Ivan and Matvey danced through the ballroom, smiling and hugging each other (those that could hug) at the sight of their King and his soul mate getting closer through the dance while Eduard kept singing.

_ _ "Beauty and the beast! Who could have guessed? That these two star-crossed hearts could possibly be blessed. With that special feeling, sent down from above. Is it possible that they could fall in love? _ _

Ivan suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder as Matthew laid his head there, smiling. He looked down the top of Matthew's blonde head and his heart leapt at the thought that his Matvey had grown to like him enough to get this close.

Matthew did not know why he did that. He just wanted to and it was nice. He could hear Ivan's heart under his ear, regular and strong and he felt his own heart beat to match Ivan's.

_ _ "Is it possible that they could fall in love?" _ _

Eduard's song came to a close as Ivan led Matthew through the ballroom doors and out onto the balcony. Toris ran off to tell his boyfriend, Feliks, what had transpired in the ballroom, Feliks being unable to get in there. Yao spun Mei round in a circle and hope was high among the servants.

They would be human again in no time.

* * *

Outside Ivan and Matthew sat on a stone bench, Ivan twitching nervously while Matthew looked around the balcony, trying not to look awkward at them being alone together in such an intimate setting.

Ivan had little to no experience of talking to someone he was romantically interested in. Even before the curse, he felt out of his depth in such matters and, when Natalya had gone into stalker mode, everyone had kept their distance for their own safety. Now he sat beside Matthew unsure of what to say to him.

"Matvey," he said, awkwardly. "I must know. Are you happy? Are you happy here with me?"

Matthew thought back over his time at the castle. A while ago he would have said no but lately....? Ivan had changed from the beast who shouted, destroyed things and made demands to a noble creature that now considered the people around him, Matthew especially. Ivan seemed to consider Matthew's happiness above everything else and, at some point, Matthew did not know when, Ivan had slipped under his guard and into his affections.

"Yes, I am happy," he replied but then he thought about everything he had left behind, everything he had lost. Ivan saw the shadow flit across Matthew's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, wanting to chase that shadow away.

"My Papa," Matthew replied. "And my father. I wish I could see them again." Ivan wanted to banish the sadness on Matthew's face and thought about how he could do that. Then it hit him.

"You can," he replied, getting up and pulling Matthew to his feet. "I have a way you can do that. Come with me!"

Ivan led Matthew to the Master Wing and the table on which the flower and glass dome stood. The sunflower had wilted more and more petals lay beneath the dying bloom. Only three petals clung to the flower head now and they looked like they might fall at any time. The blue glow had weakened and the flower's decay was almost back up to normal speed. Soon Emil would not be able to hold the Time Spell.

Ivan tore his gaze away from the flower that was ticking down like a clock to his fate, to the hand mirror the sat beside it. He picked it up and handed it to Matthew.

"Just ask it what you want to see," he instructed. Matthew looked into the mirror and saw his own reflection.

"I would like to see my Papa, please?" he asked, nervously, knowing that when dealing with magic, polite is always the best option.

The mirror glowed with a green light and Matthew could feel it hum with power in his hands and his reflection changed. The image before him was not what he wanted to see. Francis was staggering through the blizzard-swept woods, coughing and fighting the wind. As a particularly strong gust of wind hit him, Francis was blown over. He tried to get back up but then collapsed in the snow.

"PAPA!" Matthew almost screamed as Ivan watched his face fill with horror at the sight of his father practically dying before his eyes.

"He's unconscious," Matthew cried out in fear. "And he's lying in the snow. He'll die if I don't get to him." Ivan turned and stared at the sunflower. Matthew was right, his father would die if no one went to help him. And if he kept Matthew here while his father died, Matvey would never smile again and would eventually hate him for holding him here while Francis died in the snow.

Ivan would rather live as a beast for eternity than have Matvey hate him.

"Then you should go!"

Matthew was not sure he had heard Ivan right. "What?"

_ ' _ _ _ What! _ _ _ ' _ Emil exclaimed in Ivan's head. ' _ _ Your Majesty, what are you doing? _ _ _ ' _

"You should go to him," Ivan repeated, though it pained him to say it. "Go! Save your father. I release you from your promise. Go quickly, he needs you!"

_ ' _ _ _ SIRE! _ _ _ ' _

Matthew gave Ivan a look of gratitude.

"I'm coming, Papa!" Matthew went to hand the mirror back to Ivan who pushed it back into Matthew's hands.

"Keep it!" he said. "So you can always look back and remember me."

"I'll always remember you," Matthew replied. "Thank you. My father's everything to me." Matthew rushed away to change into warmer clothing to find his Papa.

"And you are everything to me," Ivan whispered. Emil groaned.

* * *

Toris came back in time to see Matthew run from the Master Wing with an expression like he had been given a great gift. It gave Toris a lot of hope to see Matthew so happy. The happier he was, the more likely it was that the affection would bloom into something stronger. As Matthew disappeared in the direction of his room, Toris went into Ivan's room to find Ivan by the window with his back to him.

"I knew you could do it, Sire," he complimented. "Everything's turning out wonderfully. Matthew will fall in love with you in no time, if he hasn't already..."

"I let him go!"

"Yes, that's just what ….." then what Ivan had said sank in. He let Matthew go?! Even before the curse, with everything riding on Matthew's presence in the castle, Ivan could not have done such a thing! "B. but why would you do that, with so much at stake...?"

"Toris," Ivan replied. "What would you say love is?" Toris thought about that for a moment and then thought about Feliks.

"I would say," he replied. "It's when someone else's happiness means more to you than your own. When you'd do anything to make them happy."

"Then you have your answer, moy drug ( _ my friend _ )," Ivan replied. One of the last three petals came loose from the sunflower's head and joined its decaying companions on the table.

* * *

"HE DID WHAT!"

Toris simply nodded. He had anticipated this reaction from the others, what with all the hope from what seemed to be a successful date and now it was crashing down around them.

"But he can't leave!" Raivis wailed. Yao comforted Mei as she began to weep.

"And we were so close," he lamented. Even Eduard's spout drooped.

"Just when the King finally fell in love," he muttered. Yao perked up.

"Won't that break the curse?" Eduard shook his head or rather he shook his whole teapot body.

"It's not enough," he replied. "Matthew has to love him back. Those were the terms."

"Then it's over!" And Mei wept harder.

* * *

Matthew had changed into his own, warmer clothes and put the mirror into a bag on the bed. As he gathered up Kumajirou, he pulled the bag onto his shoulder and went to saddle up Pierre.

He hoped he would reach his Papa in time.

* * *

Ivan stood on the balcony as Matthew rode Pierre out of the gates and into the woods. He took a deep breath and gave out a deafening roar that rolled through the woods, frightening the wolves out of Matthew's path, making his journey danger free. It was a roar of grief and loss as his heart was breaking as the one he loved rode away from him.

* * *

Arthur had taken the other fork in the road, missing the road to the castle, and was heading out of the woods when he heard a distant roar of suffering. He turned back, trying to gauge where this sound had come from but the roar was drowned out by the frightened, warning howls of wolves.

Then he heard the sound of horses coming the other way and turned to see a mixture of French and Italian soldiers on horseback, heading toward the woods.

"Your Excellency!" Captain Renato exclaimed. Arthur recognised him as King Romulus's Captain of the Guard. "What brings you here, Signore?"

"You know this man, Capitaine (Captain)?" the French captain, Capitaine LeFou, asked.

"Scusi," Renato replied. "Capitano LeFou, May I introduce His Excellency, Arthur of the Kirkland Clan. Your Excellency, This is Capitano LeFou, Capitano of the Guard for Queen Michelle of France. His Excellency and the other Fae helped King Romulus when the Dark Sorceress cursed his younger son." They gave an acknowledging bow to each other, more difficult for Captain LeFou, being on a horse. Arthur turned back to Captain Renato.

"I'm looking for my other son," Arthur replied. "I was told he went into a castle and disappeared around here." Captain LeFou frowned.

"I know of no castle around here, monsieur," he replied. "Only a village, Ville Bois."

"I've just come from there," Arthur replied. "It's where my husband and son live. They're both missing."

"Do you know if Luciano Maestri lives there?" Renato asked. Arthur nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "My son, Matthew mentioned him. He doesn't like him much."

"Your son is a good judge of character, Signore," Renato said. "Luciano Maestri was hired to kidnap Prince Lovino by Natalya" Arthur's face turned dark.

"I'll accompany you back to Ville Bois," he replied. "This man's been pestering my son with his attentions so he may have something to do with the disappearance of my family."

"Your company will be welcome, Signore."

* * *

Matthew finally found Francis, unconscious in the woods before the wolves could realise he was there and, with a bit of a struggle, got him on Pierre. They made their way out of the woods and back to the cottage, Matthew struggling with Francis to get him inside and up to his bed. As he helped his Papa into the cottage, he did not notice Flavio spying on him from the side of the building.

And he hurried off to tell Luciano that Francis and Matthew had returned.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Ivan's existence is revealed to the villagers and the reaction is not good …..


	9. The Beast Is Going To Die!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luciano creates a mob and Arthur arrives home to a crisis....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another song...

 

** _**Chapter 9:The Beast Is Going To Die!** _ **

  
  


Francis felt warm, too warm with sweat dripping from his forehead. He slowly opened his eyes and, when they had focused, saw Matthew putting a cold, damp cloth on his forehead as he lay in his bed, in his room.

"Matthieu?" he asked, not sure if what he was seeing was real. Matthew was happy to finally see his Papa wake up.

"I'm home, Papa," he replied. "I'm finally home." Francis took Matthew's hand.

"But how did you escape?" Francis had visions of Matthew running through the dark castle with the shadow of the beast pursuing him and running through the woods, chased by wolves and it made his blood run cold.

"I didn't escape," Matthew said. "He set me free." Francis could not believe it.

"That monster!" he exclaimed. Matthew shook his head.

"He's not a monster," he replied. "I don't think he ever really was. He's changed."

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the cottage and a knock on the door. Matthew went to the door and opened it, ready to greet whoever it was. When he saw who was outside, his look of welcome turned to apprehension.

He recognised the man known only as Viktor, the owner and manager of the lunatic asylum. His Russian accent reminded him of Ivan but he did not like this man. There was something sinister about him. Matthew doubted he did much to help his patients recover their sanity. If anything, he probably made them worse.

"Can I help you?" Matthew asked with a feeling he was not going to like the answer.

"We've come to collect your father," Viktor replied without preamble. Matthew looked behind the man to see the carriage with the asylum's logo painted on the side with the villagers standing by, ready to gawk at the sceptical of someone being hauled off to the asylum. It made Matthew angry.

"My Papa's not a lunatic," he snapped. Flavio gave a snort.

"He was in the tavern, raving about you being taken prisoner by a beast," he replied. "And here you are, free as a bird!" Francis appeared behind Matthew, although the effort to make it to the door had weakened him.

"Tell us again, Francy-pants," Flavio mocked. "Just how big was this beast?" Francis was too ill to realise he was made a fool of.

"It was eight," He replied. "No, ten feet." Everyone laughed and Matthew wished Francis had stayed upstairs in bed.

"Well, that proves it," Flavio said to the crowd. "How much crazier can you get?" Viktor's two orderlies pushed their way past Matthew and grabbed Francis who was too sick to fight them.

"Let him go!" Matthew demanded but he was held back by the other villagers. "Papa!"

Matthieu!" Francis called back as he was dragged away. Matthew tried to push his way through but he could not get past the villagers.

"Poor Matthew," Luciano drawled as he leant against the wall of the cottage. "What's happening to your father is tragic." Matthew turned to Luciano. As much as he hated doing it, Matthew appealed to Luciano for help.

"Luciano, please!" he begged. "My father's not insane, you know that!" Luciano hummed, feigning agreement.

"Well, I suppose I could help you with this little problem," he replied. "On one condition, of course." Matthew did not like the sound of this.

"What condition?" he asked, with a bad feeling.

"Agree to be my husband!" Matthew put two and two together and realised that Luciano had set this all up.

"Never!" Luciano's face turned dark.

"Then say goodbye to your father," he growled and stormed off in the direction of the carriage. Matthew began thinking in panic. What could he do to stop them? Then he remembered the mirror.

He ran to the kitchen table where he had put the bag containing the hand mirror and took it out then ran back out into the mob.

"My father's not crazy!" he shouted as loud as he could. "And I'll prove it!" Luciano looked toward Matthew, wondering how he could pull off that miracle. Matthew looked down at the mirror in his hand.

"Show me the Beast!" he demanded and held it up for the whole village to see.

A roar sounded from the mirror and showed Ivan baring his teeth and roaring out his pain and grief but the villagers heard it another way.

"He looks dangerous," One of the women said in fear.

"No, he isn't," Matthew reassured her. "I know how he looks there but he's kind really. Gentle."

Luciano did not like the tone of Matthew's voice when he spoke of the beast. There was something  _ loving _ in the timber of his voice. Matthew could not love such a freak.

Could he?

"Anyone would think you actually care about this monster," he sneered.

"We all know who the monster is around here," Matthew retorted. " _ Luci! _ " Luciano snatched the mirror from Matthew's hands and face the crowd.

"You really think that this creature is harmless?" he asked, incensed that Matthew would choose an animal over him. "Matthew's as crazy as his father to believe that. The beast will make off with your children in the night!" The villagers gasped with fear.

"NO!" Matthew shouted in denial. "He knows the village is here and he's never done that before. Why would he do it now?" It was logical but Luciano knew how to play this crowd. He would play on their fears and those who did believe Matthew were not going to stand against Luciano and his gang. Once he made them afraid of this beast, they would become a mob and logic had no part in mob-mentality.

"He'll come after us all," Luciano continued and murmurs of agreement ran around the people. "I say we won't be safe until he's dead. I say we kill this monster!" A cheer went up from the crowd and the heightened feelings made the potion work again.

_ " _ _ _ Do you think this beast will leave our homes alone?" _ _ _ ,  _ One man sang.

_ " _ _ _ He'll stalk our wives and children when our loved ones are alone," _ _ a woman hugged her sister as she held her baby tighter to her. Luciano smiled as the villagers began to dance to his tune and sang,  _ _ "I won't let that happen, boys and now I'll tell you why! The Beast is going to die!" _ _

Everybody turned to look at Luciano, including Matthew in horror!

 _"_ _ _I won't let my town live in fear!"__ he declared. __"No women hiding in their homes, no child to shed a tear. I say it once again and promise it's no lie! The Beast is going to die!"__

He roamed through the people using hand gestures as he sang to emphasis his words.

_ " _ _ _ The nightmare of the woods won't scare me, though it's very real, the castle with a beast inside although it's quite surreal. I won't fear the claws and fangs, won't cower from his roar. And I won't rest until he is no more!" _ _

_ " _ _ _ Tally oh, Tally oh, that's my battle cry! The Beast is going to die!" _ _

Matthew could not believe what he had done. He'd just wanted to prove that his Papa was not mad but now he had put the Beast in danger as well as the other occupants of the castle. He had just made everything worse.

"I'm not going to let you do this," he stated, grabbing hold of the mirror and trying to pry it from Luciano's hand. Luciano just smirked at him. After all, he had the village on his side.

"If you're not with us," Luciano replied. "You're against us. Bring him! And his father!" Matthew felt hands grab him from behind and pull him away.

"Lock them in the cellar," Luciano ordered. Matthew and Francis were dragged to the outside doors while someone went into the cottage to lock the entrance inside the house and the outer doors were slammed and chained up. "They'll warn the beast if they're free." Matthew slammed his body against the doors.

"Let us out, you monster!" Luciano ignored him and leapt on his horse.

"Now," he called to the people. "We'll save the village from this creature! Who's joining me?" A cry went up from all the men and they began to gather weapons to face the 'danger'.

 _"_ _ _Gather up your weapons,"__ they sang. __"Saddle up your horse!"__

 _"_ _ _Marshal all your courage,"__ Luciano joined in. __"Be prepared to stay your course! We have this single chance, my boys, don't let it pass you by! The Beast is going to die!”__ _Luciano demanded that the mirror show him the way to the castle._

_ " _ _ _ The castle could be haunted but we won't stay away, _ _ _ "  _ the other villagers sang.  _ _ "And we'll have Luciano lead the way!" _ _

Their fire torches lit up the woods as Luciano led them, en mass, toward his rival.

_ " _ _ _ The beast is tall and scary! For that alone we want him dead! And we won't stop until we find and carry back his head. And Tally oh! Tally oh! That's our battle cry! The Beast is going to die!" _ _

"We'll burn the castle to the ground," Luciano announced. "And we'll bring the beast's head back on a platter!"

_ " _ _ _ The Beast is going to die!" _ _

* * *

Using the mirror, Luciano led the mob down the right fork in the road and as the last torch baring villager disappeared from sight, Arthur and the soldiers came down the other one.

"Mes amis," Captain LeFou asked. "Did you hear singing just now?" Arthur had been asking Captain Renato about any new citizens of Italy that had come from the New World after telling him what he had found out there and Captain Renato said he would make a point of finding out for him. They had been so engrossed in their conversation so they heard nothing. Captain LeFou shrugged and put it down to strange noises and his own imagination.

* * *

When they reached Ville Bois, they found the village almost deserted except for a few women and children looking fearfully out of their windows and Arthur could detect traces of the potion from the empty pot in the cottage basement. The tavern was still open, ready for when the men returned so they went in to it to talk to the landlord.

The landlord was a large man who walked with a severe limp, a souvenir from his time with the army and so could not join the other men to storm the castle. When the soldiers came into the tavern, he stood up straight, showing deference to the two captains, although he was confused by the mix of French and Italian soldiers.

"What can I do for you gentleman?" he asked, politely. Captain LeFou deferred to Captain Renato since he knew more about the crime.

"We are seeking an Italian man named Luciano Maestri," Renato replied in the man's own language. "We were told he lives in this village." They had struck gold with this man. He was one of those who had not fallen for Luciano's charm and had, instead, been pressed down by intimidation by both Luciano and his gang. The landlord had a feeling that these soldiers were not here to pat Luciano on the head and he was not inclined to protect Luciano.

"Yes," he confirmed. "He lives here but he's not in the village at the moment."

"Where is he?" Renato demanded.

"He and the other men are headed for some castle in the woods," the landlord replied. "There's some beast that lives there and Luciano claimed the beast would come after our village and devour our children so they've gone to kill it."

"Do you know where this castle is?"

"No," the landlord replied. "But Matthieu Kirkland-Bonnefoy might." Arthur had been coming through the door and froze at the sound of Matthew's name.

"And where is Matthieu Kirkland-Bonnefoy?" Renato asked. Arthur had said there was no one at the cottage.

"Well, he'd been missing for a while," the man replied. "But he arrived home a few hours ago. Francis had been in here, raving about the beast taking Matthieu and holding him prisoner but everybody thought he was just being crazy, as usual."

"Why 'as usual'?" a cold voice asked from the doorway. The landlord turned to see a being he had only heard about in legend. A slender built man with messy blonde hair and emerald green eyes, topped with really big eyebrows but what caught the landlord's attention were the green wings coming from his back. The landlord went white.

"Mon dieu!" he gasped. "He was telling the truth!" Arthur came forward.

"Why did you think that my husband was crazy?" he demanded. The landlord began shaking with fear of what this man could do to him.

"He said he was married to a Fae," he replied, shakily. "My apologies, my lord. Belief in such things has waned here. He said you were searching for a missing son but that wasn't believed either so everyone thought he was crazy." Arthur did not want to waste any more time on this. He had a husband and son to find and a criminal to bring down.

"Tell me what happened to Matthew and Francis?" he ordered. The landlord nodded.

"The local asylum-keeper came to take Francis into custody," he replied and froze for a second when Arthur stiffened in anger. "But Matthieu somehow had this mirror that he used to show everyone that the beast was real. He also insisted that the beast wouldn't hurt us but Luciano whipped the other villagers into a mob. When Matthieu said he wouldn't let them hurt the monster, Luciano had him and Francis locked in their own basement so they couldn't warn the creature."

Arthur was out the door immediately with the soldiers on his trail. Damn, he should have gone back to the cottage first.

* * *

Matthew was trying to force the door with whatever he could find in the basement and right now he was using a piece of pipe to lever the door open but it was not budging. He had to get out, not only to warn Ivan but to get Francis out of the cold. What recovery he had made was fast disappearing and the flush of fever covered his face.

"All I've done is made everything worse," Matthew lamented. "I have to get to Beast before they kill him."

"We will," Francis replied, although he looked ready to collapse. Matthew gave the pipe another hard shove but it snapped. Matthew threw the remainder of it across the basement in frustration, sat down and began to weep.

"Francis! Matthew!"

That sounded like Dad but it could not be. He said he would be away for weeks.

"Are you in there?" Arthur's voice called from outside the basement outer doors. Matthew pressed his face against them.

"Dad!" he called. "Is that you?"

"Stand away from the doors, son," Matthew backed up and sat with his papa, holding him up. There was a flash of light and the door was ripped away from the frame. Snow blew in, followed by Arthur and Matthew ran into his dad's arms and hugged him tight. Arthur hugged Matthew back and suddenly breathed in.

"Have you been messing with my potions?" he asked.

"I accidentally tipped one over myself," Matthew confessed. "Why? Is it harmful?"

"No," Arthur replied, waving his wand over Matthew and a yellow glow fell over him. "It's a festival potion. You've probably been singing and dancing without realising it."

"Embarrassing," Matthew replied as Arthur put his wand away, spotting the fever-ridden Francis as he did so.

"Welcome home, mon petite lapin," Francis smiled weakly. Arthur moved away from Matthew and went to examine Francis.

"You should look after yourself better, Git," he scolded as he checked the heat coming from Francis's forehead. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pot of salve. Arthur covered his forefinger in the salve, ran it across Francis's forehead and almost immediately his fever began to lift.

"Can somebody tell me what's going on?" Arthur demanded and he put the pot back in his pocket. "I heard something about a beast and a lynch mob."

"We have to go help him, Dad," Matthew insisted. "Luciano and the other villagers are going to kill him. We must stop them!"

"Slow down, Matthew," Arthur replied. "What was this about you being held by the Beast against your will?"

"Please, Dad," Matthew began pulling Arthur out of the basement. "I'll explain later but we can't wait. They've probably reached the castle by now!" Arthur gave up and allowed Matthew to pull him outside, followed by Francis.

* * *

A shroud of depression had settled over the castle as the servants sat and bemoaned their lost chance to become human again and Ivan's lost chance at love.

"So close!" Toris almost wailed. "Only to fail at the last moment. Why?"

"Why did Matthew have to come at all?" Yao demanded. "Only to dash our hopes! I wish none of us had ever laid eyes on him, aru."

"Maybe he'll come back," Raivis said, hopefully.

"Not before the sunflower dies," Yao replied. "There's only two petals left, aru." And the servants sank into depression again.

* * *

The mob finally had the castle in sight and began to prepare to lay siege to it. Men used axes to chop down a tree to use as a battering ram against the doors, singing as they worked.

_ " _ _ _ Tally oh! Tally oh! That's our battle cry! The Beast is going to die!" _ _

* * *

The servants heard the commotion outside and ran to the windows, hoping to see Matthew returning to them but were greeted by the sight of angry villagers, carrying torches, weapons and the battering ram, attacking the gates.

"By the gods! _ " _ Yao exclaimed. "The castle's being assaulted, aru!" Eduard spotted what was in the leader's hand.

"He's carrying the mirror," he indicated with his spout.

"You don't think Matthew sent them here, do you?" Mei asked, not wanting to believe it.

"He wouldn't do that," Raivis wailed.

"It doesn't matter," Toris replied, looking out the window, not realising that everyone else was racing to man battle stations. "If they want a fight, we'll give them one! Who's with me?" He looked round to find himself alone and ran to find the others.

* * *

The mob smashed through the gates and spilled out into the courtyard. Luciano strolled ahead toward the doors, followed by Flavio and his gang.

"Take whatever you like!" he ordered. "But leave the Beast to me! He's mine!"

He would kill the monster who thought he could take Matthew from him.

* * *

Inside the castle, the objects were taking up positions to defend their home, except Eduard who hurried to the Master Wing. Ivan sat, looking apathetically at the sunflower as another petal threatened to fall. Emil's spell had finally failed and the flower was now in the grip of full decay.

"Your Majesty!" Eduard called. Ivan turned away and looked out of the window.

"Just leave me alone!" he ordered. Eduard looked desperately back down the passageway.

"But the castle's being attacked, sire," he replied, urgently. Ivan's shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," he said, unemotionally as the petal fell, leaving one remaining. "Nothing does. Just let them come!"

Eduard realised that Ivan had given up but whether he wanted it or not, they would defend him and the castle to the last object as they took up positions. Outside, the mob carried the battering ram and were preparing to slam it into the doors. Then came the first crash as the tree was smashed into them.

* * *

Francis was riding Pierre as they rode into the woods, followed by the French and Italian soldiers, having been told that was where Luciano was, while Matthew clung to his back, Arthur flying beside them in miniature form. Matthew prayed that they would reach the castle in time before anything happened to his Beast.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : The battle commences and things are revealed....


	10. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let battle commence....

 

** _**Chapter 10 : The Battle** _ **

  
  


The battering ram slammed against the doors and rattled all the objects that were putting their weight against them. They were almost thrown away from the doors as the ram hit them again.

"They'll be through in no time," Mei squealed in panic. "We can't hold them off like this!"

"What are we going to do?" Toris asked.

"Let me think, aru!" Yao ordered. Then it hit him.

* * *

The villagers slammed the tree into the doors and they shook under the impact. They drew the battering ram back and rammed it into the doors again and the doors crashed open.

It was dark inside the castle with the inner hallway cluttered with a collection of furniture and knick-knacks, lying around like they had just been dumped where they lay. Luciano cautiously led the way, looking round the furniture for hidden assailants, followed by the other villagers who were a little nervous at the lack of opposition they were encountering after struggling to get in. Flavio picked up a Chinese lantern to illuminate his way, never once wondering why it was lit as the mob moved to the centre of the hallway.

"NOW!"

The voice seemed to come from the lantern but before Flavio could verify that, the mob was suddenly under attack, not from human assailants but from the objects themselves. Flavio dropped the lantern as it suddenly turned hot and burned his hand. One of the gang was being soundly pummelled by the hat-stand and another was facing off against a wardrobe who was criticising his fashion sense. Feliks pulled the thug into his innards, threw him around a little and spat him back out, dressed in a pink jacket, petticoat and a tall orange wig. He screamed and ran to hide his shame.

"It's, like, totes you," Feliks called after him, laughing.

Another of Luciano's lackeys got the shock of his life when one end of the rug he was standing on, reared up and smacked him in the butt, knocking him into an open chest that promptly shut on him. Then spat him out again.

"Yuck!"

Luciano ducked the flying furniture and object d'art that was taking the mob apart and managed to use the distraction to get to the staircase. Unseen by distracted friend or foe alike, he made his way up the stairs and into the castle.

* * *

As the rescue party drew near to the castle, Arthur began to sense the magic of the castle and found it to be vaguely familiar. He was still too far away to identify it properly but he knew it from somewhere.

"Are you sure Luciano Maestri is at this castle?" Captain Renato asked, riding alongside Matthew and Francis.

"He's leading the mob so he should be," Matthew confirmed. "What did he do?"

"He and his criminal gang kidnapped Prince Lovino when he was an infant and handed him over to the Dark Sorceress!" Matthew was surprised but not completely shocked. He knew Luciano and his lackeys bullied and intimidated some of the villagers who did not fall for his charm and it was one of the reasons Matthew did not like him. Being familiar with the magic realm, Matthew did not question the ages of the gang but knew Natalya had to have had something to do with it.

"Her, again," he snorted. Frankly, Matthew was glad she was gone.

"What about you and this Beast?" Arthur asked. He was no longer flying but sitting on Matthew's shoulder and holding on to his collar. "I was told you were held prisoner by it."

"Him, Dad," Matthew corrected. "And, yes, I was but it's complicated. He's not evil and we have to save him."

"We will, Matthew."

* * *

Luciano crept down the passageways of the castle, checking rooms, looking for the creature that Matthew seemed to prefer to him. He did not care if the Beast was good or evil, he was a rival and that was all Luciano needed to know. He would eliminate this monster and Matthew would be his.

By force, if necessary!

Finally Luciano found the staircase to the Master Wing and began to climb.

* * *

Eduard, Raivis and the other teacups stood above the raging battle waiting for the right moment. When the maximum amount of invaders were below them, Eduard shouted, "NOW!" and hot liquid fell on the beleaguered villagers from above. Not just hot water but a lot of lemon juice too, getting into cuts and scrapes and leaving a nice zesty sting.

Flavio threw a knife at General Winter, the footstool house cat, as he raced through the door to the kitchen. Flavio followed with two of the Maestri Gang in tow into the dark room and saw the footstool backed into a corner, hissing and spitting. The three of them grinned, ready to gut the little stool.

Then drawers opened and sharp knives, meat forks and meat cleavers stood up, menacingly.

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" came a roar to their right and they turned to see Gordon the Stove rear up, flames pouring out of his oven and hobs, turning the room into Hell's Kitchen.

They screamed as one then turned from the fiery inferno and ran, followed by the sharp knives that leapt from the drawers and flung themselves at the departing ruffians.

* * *

Yao had been backed into a corner by a torch bearing villager who was enjoying Yao's pain as the flame threatened to burn away Yao's outer covering and melt the candle inside him. Toris was at the top of the stairs and saw Yao's predicament, grabbed a pair of scissors and climbed onto the bannister. He enjoyed the exhilarating rush of air as he flew down to explain to the thug why it was not nice to do such things.

Needless to say, as the man leapt into the air with a howl of pain, he got the 'point' of Toris's argument.

Now free, Yao heard a scream and turned to see a villager with Mei in his hands, trying to pull her apart. He ran under the villager and made his candle flame shoot out like a blow torch. The man screamed and dropped Mei as he ran off to find water to put out his now burning backside. Yao caught Mei and hugged her close.

The villagers had had enough. Somehow, fighting in a castle where anything and everything can attack you was more terrifying than facing a beast. When Flavio finally ran for the outside, the others began to follow suit and the furniture and ornaments began to cheer as the last villager ran out the door and Yao made Toris feel sick when he picked him up with his tassels and whirled him round.

No one realised that not every attacker had gone!

* * *

Luciano slowly opened the door to Ivan's chambers with his bow, ready to fire. His hatred for the beast had grown as he moved through the castle. It had all the signs of a royal residence and Luciano hated royalty. If their father had married their mother, Flavio would have been the heir to the Italian throne, with Luciano running things from the shadows.

But their father just left and ignored their existence, leaving them in poverty and then their mother had died when they were ten, leaving them alone in the world. Everything bad that had happened to the twins, Luciano laid at the door of the Italian Royal Family. Kidnapping the actual heir had been a gift. The perfect revenge on the Vargas Royals.

His vision swept the wrecked room, staying a minute on the floating flower under the glass dome but his interest was lost when he spotted the shadow sat by the window. His prey in sight, Luciano took aim with his bow.

Ivan knew he was not alone as he turned toward the presence that had invaded his chambers. He saw the man with the bow aimed at him and resigned himself to his fate. Without Matvey, his life meant nothing to him and he had no desire to spend a pointless eternity as he was so he turned back toward the window and just hoped it would be quick.

Either Luciano's aim was off or, more likely, he wanted to draw this out.

Luciano released his arrow and Ivan roared in pain as it struck his shoulder. When Luciano finally saw the Beast, he was furious that he had been thrown over for this monster. What did Matthew see in this animal? Suddenly, Luciano did not want this to end quickly. No way could anyone prefer this creature to a normal person. He had Matthew under a spell, that was it! He would make this monster suffer before he killed it and freed Matthew. He would make it pay for thinking it could take what was his.

While the Beast was still reeling from the pain, Luciano grabbed hold of the arrow and kicked Ivan through the window, ripping the arrow from Ivan's shoulder, onto the flat top roof visible from the window and leapt out after Ivan. Another kick had Ivan moving toward the end of the roof.

"Why don't you fight back?" Luciano sneered. "I expected more from something like you. Were you in love with him? What made you think that Matthew or anyone would choose you when they could have someone like me? You're dreaming, monster!"

Lying at the edge of the roof, Ivan was just waiting for the end but he was reassured that, no matter what happen to him, Matvey would never choose this man who he was sure was the man Matvey had been so scornful of. Luciano pulled a piece of stonework from a nearby wall to use as a makeshift club and approached Ivan with it held over his head.

"It's over!" he announced. "Matthew's mine! He was always mine!"

Ivan waited for the blow.

"NO!"

* * *

Matthew, Arthur and Francis galloped into the courtyard, followed by the soldiers, just as the villagers were running out. Arthur flew to the ground and regained his full size.

"Apprehend them all," Captain Renato ordered. "Until we know which of them are Luciano Maestri and his gang." The soldiers began to round up the mob. Arthur looked up at the castle in shock. He realised where he knew the castle magic aura from and he now knew who the Beast really was.

"King Ivan!"

"What was that, Dad?" Matthew asked.

"This is King Ivan's castle," he replied. "Even if I didn't recognise the aura, I'd recognise the castle. It's King Ivan, no doubt."

"But that means...," Matthew realised what his Dad was saying. When Matthew had been talking to the Beast about King Ivan, he had been talking to King Ivan himself. Why had he not said anything?

All the time he had been reading that book, both at home and in the castle, he had been basically reading Ivan's story. It was almost like Hercules and the library steps had deliberately steered him toward it.

When the last of the mob had been captured, Matthew realised that Luciano was not among them. He spotted Flavio, dismounted and grabbed him by the front of his coat.

"Where's Luciano?" he demanded, shaking Flavio.

"He must be still inside," Flavio replied, smugly. "He's probably found and killed the Beast already."

"NO!" Matthew screamed, threw Flavio away from him and ran into the castle, followed by Arthur and Francis.

* * *

Ivan was pulled from his apathy by Matthew's voice and looked down to see Matthew racing toward the castle, followed by Francis and a Fae. Matthew was back! He had returned to him.

Suddenly Ivan was not so eager to embrace death.

As Luciano brought the stone club down, it was caught in Ivan's paws and Luciano found himself facing off against a much stronger opponent as he was forced back while they grappled for the club. They both found themselves sliding down a sloping roof as they fought. Falling from the edge, they fell onto another flat roof. When Luciano recovered, Ivan was nowhere to be found.

Luciano spotted a monstrous shadow and struck at it with the club he had somehow managed to hold on to. The head shattered as Luciano hit a stone gargoyle and he realised that there were a few of them, all in a row.

"Come on out and fight, monster!" he shouted. "Matthew's mine. The sooner you die, the sooner he's free!" Ivan sat in the shadows, hidden among the gargoyles.

"Do you really think you had any chance with him?" he mocked. "Who could love a monster? Matthew will be mine!"

That infuriated Ivan, that this thug would lay claim to his soul mate without reference to Matvey's feelings. He would not leave Matvey to this man's mercies.

Luciano felt something behind him but as he turned, he was grabbed by the throat and held out over a deep drop as he dropped the club. He suddenly was not so eager to fight to get Matthew. No one was worth his life and he began to panic.

"NO!" he screamed. "Please don't drop me! I'm sorry! I'll do what ever you ask, just please don't kill me!"

Ivan was almost amused as he watched the cock-sure hunter crumble into a shivering coward and considered consigning him to his fate but he was not the Beast he had become since the curse nor even the man he had been before it and Matvey would not like him to kill in cold blood, even if the victim was someone Matvey hated.

Ivan dragged the weeping Luciano back onto the safety of the flat top roof and forced him to his knees, scowling into Luciano's face.

"Get out of my castle!" the creepy, calm tone was back. "Don't come back and NEVER bother Matvey again!" Ivan threw Luciano to one side in disgust.

"Ivan!"

Ivan looked up to see Matthew stand on the balcony from Ivan's chambers. It took a moment to realise that Matthew had called Ivan by his name. It sounded so sweet coming from his soul mate's lips but then, for a moment, Ivan began to panic. If someone had told Matvey then surely Matvey was now cursed too.

But Matvey was still human. He seemed unaffected and Ivan came to the conclusion that either someone from outside the castle had figured out who he was and told Matvey or Matvey had somehow worked it out for himself. A Fae appeared behind Matthew, followed by Francis and four soldiers. A Fae Ivan recognised as Arthur of the Kirkland Clan and it made sense. Arthur would have recognised the aura of the magic embedded in the castle and, indeed, the castle itself and told Matthew. Matthew was safe from the curse and, was Arthur the Fae father Matthew had spoken about? Who would have thought that he was Arthur's son!

Matthew held out his hand and Ivan began climbing the roof to the balcony. When he reached the edge, he cupped Matthew's cheek with one paw and Matthew held it against the side of his face. Arthur was surprised at such a display of affection but did nothing to interfere.

Nobody saw Luciano climbing up after Ivan, drawing a hunting knife from his boot.

Ivan could not believe that his Matvey had returned to him. Suddenly his cold, dark world was light and warm again.

And then he roared when an agonising pain shot through his side as Luciano plunged his knife into it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : What will happen to Ivan?.....and something is revealed about the Vargas family tree....


	11. Changes And Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I left on an evil cliffhanger...well time to put you out of your misery....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this story. Enjoy!

 

** **Chapter 11 : Change and Reunions** **

  
  


Ivan would never know why he did it and, if a similar situation occurred, he did not think he would do it again.

As he felt the knife stab him in the side, he reared back in pain and Matthew reached out and grabbed Ivan's fur-covered arm to prevent him from falling but Luciano lost his grip and dropped his knife as he began to fall and waved his arms, trying to find something to grab onto to prevent his plummet from the roof of the castle.

Ivan's other arm shot out and he grabbed Luciano's wrist, preventing his fall. Matthew pulled hard, trying to pull Ivan onto the balcony but he was hampered by the extra weight and Ivan was slipping from his grasp.

"Dad!" he called out in desperation. "Help me!" Arthur took out his wand and waved it. Ivan and Luciano were surrounded by a blue glow and they both rose into the air and came back down on the balcony.

Matthew knelt down beside Ivan and began to examine his wound. The two captains immediately grabbed Luciano.

"Is this Luciano Maestri?" Captain LeFou demanded.

"Oui!" Francis confirmed.

"Luciano Maestri," Captain Renato stated. "You are under-arrest for the kidnapping of Prince Lovino of Italy. You will be taken back to Italy to stand trial before the King." Luciano was turned over to the other two soldiers.

Arthur knelt beside Ivan to see his injury and knew it was bad. A touch on Ivan's shoulder told Arthur that Ivan's magic was sealed so he could not heal himself and Arthur began to pull items from his pockets to make a potion to heal Ivan but he doubted his ability to make it in time.

"What about the salve in your pocket, Dad?" Matthew asked. "The one you used on Papa!" Arthur shook his head.

"That's for sickness," he replied as he worked "It doesn't work on wounds."

"Matvey! You returned!"

Matthew turned his attention back to Ivan who's beastly visage was creased in pain. The servants had finally made their way up to the Master Wing balcony, to the sight of the mob leader in the grip of soldiers and their King dying as a Fae worked to try and save him.

"Of course I did," Matthew replied. "Hold on, Ivan! Dad'll save you. Just hold on!"

But Ivan knew how long it would take to make the potion to save his life and he knew he did not have that much time. Luciano's knife had struck something inside, something vital and Ivan could already feel his life slipping away.

"It's too late," Ivan said, matter-of-factly. Matthew looked at his father and, while Arthur tried to look hopeful, the truth was there in his eyes and Matthew put his head on Ivan's chest.

"This is my fault" Matthew blamed himself. "If only I hadn't shown them that mirror. You can't die! I won't let you!" Ivan smiled at his Matvey preparing to stand against the inevitable but he knew fate would not to be denied. And Matthew would have more of a normal life without being tied to a beast.

"It's better this way," he said. "Your life will be better without a beast in it."

"Stop talking that way!" Matthew ordered. "You're King Ivan and you're going to be fine. I'm here now and I'm not leaving you again." But Ivan's vision was dimming and he knew his time was coming to an end. He gathered his strength to raise his paw and caress Matthew's cheek.

Captains LeFou and Renato could only look on in surprise. Was that beast really the missing Russian ice king?

"I got to see you again, at least," he replied. "Something to take with me." Matthew held the paw against his cheek but then he felt it go limp as Ivan fell into darkness and slipped away.

The paw fell from between Matthew's cheek and hand as Ivan's eyes rolled back in his head and he went deathly still. Arthur looked up from his work when Matthew gasped and he knew that Ivan had gone.

Matthew grabbed Ivan's shoulders and began to shake him and demanding that he wake up. Arthur wrapped his arms around Matthew to hold him still and comfort him.

"He's gone, Matthew!" he said, gently.

Matthew went still. Ivan was gone! How could he go? Just when Matthew had realised that he ….He pulled out of his Dad's arms and put his head back down on Ivan's chest.

"Don't leave me!" he begged, tears crawling down his face. "I love you, Ivan. Don't leave me!"

Toris, Yao and Eduard watched as the last petal of the sunflower broke loose from the flower head and drifted to the table.

That was that! Matthew had finally admitted his love but the last petal had fallen and King Ivan was dead. It was over.

But it was not!

A spark of life was still lit in Ivan's brain. Matthew confessed his feelings just before the last petal fell and it was enough.

Crying on Ivan's chest, Matthew did not notice at first but the others did. Spots of light fell like rain and where they struck, changes began. The dreary stone of the castle turned to splotches of white that grew into patches. Arthur held up his hand to catch the light and felt the white magic of a breaking curse soak into his skin. As the glittering rain fell onto Ivan's body, it began to glow. And then it began to rise up into the air, light wrapping around it like a cocoon. The two captains stepped back nervously, the servants eyes went wide with wonder and Arthur, who was the only one who knew what was happening, pulled Matthew away with Francis's help.

"What's happening, Dad?" Matthew asked.

"A curse is breaking," he replied. "Whatever magic was cast on King Ivan, it's unravelling."

Ivan's body continued to glow. His claws retracted into his hands and feet, becoming normal finger and toenails. The hair on his legs receded into the skin and his paws became ordinary human feet and ankles. His hands also lost their hair and shrank down to big but human hands. The rest of Ivan's body also lost mass and his face began to reform as the hair disappeared and pale skin showed. The snout shrank and became a normal nose and the horns pulled back into his head. The only hair that remained was silvery blonde on the top of Ivan's head. The was a flash of light and Ivan drifted back to the floor, the transformation complete.

* * *

Ivan could feel cold stone beneath him as he woke to find himself lying on the balcony. Wait! Why was he alive? He had been dying, he knew he had been so why was he still breathing?

He moved to stand up but it was a struggle because his body felt all wrong and when he stood up, he seemed to have lost some height. And then he saw one of his paws. Or hands.

He stared at it for a full minute, finding it hard to believe it was attached to him. An ordinary human hand with skin and fingernails. He brought the other one up to look at, as if to confirm what he was seeing was not a dream. He brought them up to his face and felt, not a snout but a human nose but no fur or horns.

He dared to hope what he thought had happened, really had happened. Then he turned and saw Matthew who was staring at him like he did not know who he was seeing.

"Matvey!" he said. "It's me, Ivan!"

* * *

Matthew stared at the man in front of him. Though not as tall as the beast, he was tall, almost six feet high with silver-blonde hair and a large nose which look strangely in keeping with the rest of his face which was rather handsome but it was the eyes that finally convinced Matthew that he was indeed looking at Ivan.

"It IS you!" he exclaimed and ran into Ivan's arms. Ivan smiled his first human smile in thirty years, a soft childlike smile as he hugged his Matvey close to him and then he did something he had wanted to do for a long time.

He leant down and placed his lips firmly over Matthew's.

Matthew was surprised at first but gave himself up to the thrill of Ivan's kiss. It seemed to him that the sky was lighting up with magic. Not realising that the sky was.

Ivan's magic, having been confined for so long, burst out and up into the sky and fell on the castle as snowflakes that worked with the breaking of the remainder of the curse. The castle returned to its white and shining glory. The inside of the house became bright and magnificent and the biggest transformation was to the occupants.

The servants began to glow and grow, taking on human silhouettes and there was a flash of light and three people stood there instead. In place of the Chinese lantern stood a Chinese man who could be mistaken for a girl at first glance because of his long hair that hung in a ponytail over his left shoulder. He wore a Chinese tunic with sleeves that fell over his hands and tassels fell down from the frogging.

The clock had become a blue-eyed man with brown, almost shoulder length hair, wearing green. He was looking down at himself in wonder as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

A tall blonde man, dressed in blue and wearing glasses, stood where the teapot had been. He had blue eyes and a surprised expression which mellowed as he adjusted faster to the change than the others.

Ivan ran over and hugged his newly-restored servants, which was a disturbing moment for them because Ivan had not been know for demonstrating his affection in such a way.

"Brother!" Raivis's voice called out and the little teacup rode in on General Winter and leapt off the footstool just as they glowed and grew. A flash of light left behind a Russian Blue cat and a ten year old boy with short, blonde hair and blue-violet eyes. Eduard picked the boy up and spun him round while General Winter rubbed himself against Ivan's leg, purring.

"I told you Matthew would break the curse, didn't I, Eduard!" He exclaimed after Eduard put him down. Eduard smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Toris!"

Toris was almost knocked over as a speeding blonde person with green eyes barrelled into him and tried to hug him to death. It was hard to tell the gender as the person was wearing an outfit that hovered between male and female. The person stepped back and held their arms wide.

"Don't I look, like, totes, fabulous!"

"You always did, Feliks" a girl's voice replied. "You look so kawaii."

An Asian girl, dressed in pink with pink flowers in her hair appeared from behind Feliks and ran to Yao who took the girl in his arms and hugged her to him.

"Mei!" he simply said.

Captains LeFou and Renato did not know what to make of the magical happenings they were witnessing but they noticed that the Fae did not seemed to be worried by the events.

"Your Excellency," Renato ventured. "Could you please explain what is going on?"

"The breaking of a curse," Arthur replied. "The man you see before you is King Ivan, cursed by his sister over thirty years ago. We've not only found Prince Lovino's kidnapper but also, it seems, the Ice King of the Russias."

"Thank goodness, that's over," came a voice from inside.

On the table, over the dead sunflower, knelt a young man with silver-white hair and purple eyes, dressed in a brown suit with a white shirt with a ribbon bow tied round the collar. He climbed down off the table and stretched for the first time in thirty years.

"Emil!" Arthur exclaimed. This was a day for discoveries. First the King of the Russias, now Lukas's younger brother who had not been seen for thirty years.

"Arthur Kirkland!" Emil replied. "Is that you?"

"Wait until Lukas hears you've been found," Arthur replied. Emil pulled a face.

"And tells me to call him Big Brother again."

"And you'll tell him no!"

"Our little ritual!" Arthur laughed. Lukas was going to be delighted (on the inside). Coupled with the knowledge that he now had a solid lead on his whereabouts, it renewed Arthur's hope for finding Alfred.

One last loose end to tie up and Arthur could get back to his quest.

* * *

The mob was escorted back to the village, surrounded by soldiers. Luciano in shackles and one by one, his gang was identified, pointed out by those who had been victims of their exploitation and intimidation since their arrival in the village and they were put in chains as well. Flavio was also restrained despite Luciano insisting that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping. The soldiers could not be sure so they erred on the side of caution. They were left in the castle dungeons to await their return when Ivan, having regained his magical abilities, would transport the whole castle to Italy with Arthur's help.

Ivan, Yao and Toris had accompanied the group while the other servants set the castle to rights and on the way, Ivan explained about the curse and why he had been unable to tell Matthew who he really was.

"Your heart really stopped beating until you saw me?" he asked. Ivan nodded.

"It was the most wonderful moment of my life when I looked into your eyes and felt my heart beat again." he replied. "I was cold until that moment."

"That's actually kind of romantic!"

  
“ _What have we done?! Where did we go wrong?”_ the mob suddenly burst into song. “ _We listened to Luci, the criminal one. We thought he was telling the truth at the time. But he led us straight into a crime.”_ Arthur raised an eyebrow. Just how far had the potion spread?

“ _We went after a thing,”_ One sang. “ _But attacked a king. Who knows what trouble this action can bring?”_ Another man chirped up. _“I said it was wrong, that the beast should not die.”_ Another villager shoved the man.

“ _You're here with the mob so don't lie!”_ Another man also shoved him.

“ _You called for his head, you wanted him dead,”_ he sang, aggressively at the liar. _“All who are here heard what you said. What fate awaits for attacking the king, you will face the same thing!”_

 

The soldiers were looking at them like they had lost their minds and Arthur could not stand to listen to another word of it. He waved his wand over everyone and the mob stopped in mid lyric and acted like they had not been singing at the top of their voices. LeFou and Renato stared at Arthur.

"I'll explain later," he said, enigmatically. Matthew could not stop giggling at them.

"Why are you laughing, Matvey?" Ivan asked. Matthew whispered the story into his ear and Ivan went bright red, thinking how he might have burst into song at weird moments without realising and then grinned while imagining the others singing as they worked back at the castle, maybe some song such as  _ _ Human Again! _ _

* * *

When they arrived back in the village, news flew around those who had not joined the mob, about the arrest of Luciano and his lackeys and the goings-on, leading to the Beast actually being King Ivan. The appearance of Francis's Fae husband had caused more than a few slices of humble pie to be handed out. The Badboy Bimbo Trio wailed on each other's shoulder about how they always fell for the wrong man.

"How tragic!" Jeane said, dramatically.

"How muy triste! ( _ How very sad! _ )" Carmen agreed.

"How unawesome!" Julchen declared. Then they spotted Captains LeFou and Renato and suddenly it was  _ _ Luciano who? _ _

A massive apology was given to King Ivan for the assault on the castle. Yao and Toris wondered what Ivan would do but, with one look from Matthew, Ivan accepted the apology but warned them about judging by appearance and that next time they might not be so lucky. On the way to the cottage, Matthew was saddened to see the bookshop was closed and a note on the door said it would not reopen, that Hercules had left the village for good. Matthew would miss him.

Arthur, Francis and Matthew were going to pack up the cottage as they were going to Italy as well. Arthur had told Francis and Matthew what he had discovered in the New World which was already being called America by some people. Arthur was not sure the name would ever catch on.

* * *

"What are you thinking about, Matvey?" Ivan asked, wrapping his arms around Matthew from behind. Matthew had been packing away his books and had been stood doing nothing but staring into space for the past five minutes.

"I was just wondering," he replied. "Could Alfred really be in Italy? And from what Dad says, Alfred is now four years younger than I am. He was actually older than me by twenty minutes. It's been twelve years. I wonder if we'll ever find him."

"I have been told many people are looking for your twin," Ivan said. "And now you have me. When I have re-established myself in my kingdom, I will seek him too."

"It seems the whole world's looking for him now," Matthew commented.

"Then soon he will be found!" Matthew smiled and took another book off the book shelf. He laughed when he saw it was the book that Hercules had given him.

"What's so funny?" Ivan asked. Matthew showed him the book.

"The bookshop owner gave me this," he replied. "It could almost be your life story. When I was looking for a book to read to you, your librarian directed me to the same story."

"Librarian?" Ivan was puzzled. "Matvey, the castle has no librarian." Matthew turned to stare at him.

"But I spoke to him," he insisted. "He was the bookshelf steps."

"Matvey, our librarian was visiting home when Natalya struck," Ivan explained. "He wasn't in the castle."

"But then who ….?" But it could not be a coincidence that they were both called Hercules.

Matthew just smiled.

* * *

Having packed everything up onto a new cart, they made their way back to the castle. Arthur could have transported them all but he wanted to conserve his magic. Transporting an entire castle was a large task.

They parted company with Captain LeFou and his men as they left for Paris. When everything was ready, Arthur and Ivan prepared to move the castle.

Ivan produced his diamond-topped hooked staff which he had put away during the time his magic was beyond his reach and Arthur readied his wand. Blue magic swirled from the diamond in Ivan's staff and green erupted from Arthur's wand to mix with the blue. The mixed magic grew and began to flow down the passageways and into the rooms. Eventually it made it's way outside and formed a dome around the castle. When the spell was complete there was a glow, a flash of light and Ivan's castle blinked out of existence.

* * *

The Italian Royal Family and the entire population of King Romulus's Castle and the surrounding city had the shock of their lives when another castle suddenly appeared not far from them. The guard was mobilised to defend the castle against possible attack but when people emerged from the new castle, they were led by Captain Renato.

"What's going on, Captain?" King Romulus demanded, coming through his men followed by Feliciano, Ludwig and Antonio. Lovino watched from the throne room with his nine year old son, Prince Marcello. Arthur and Francis came out, followed by Ivan with Matthew on his arm.

"Apologies, Your Majesty," Captain Renato said with a bow. "I have good news, however. We've apprehended Luciano Maestri and his gang and located some long lost royalty." Ivan stepped forward.

"King Ivan!" Romulus gasped. Ivan stopped in front of Romulus and bowed.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty," he commented. "You were still Prince Romulus, the last time I saw you."

"That was a long time ago," Romulus replied. "You still look as you did back then. I think I'm getting too old for all this. I'm over sixty now, I'm a little jealous"

"Over sixty and lived a life," Ivan said. "I'm the one that's jealous." Romulus noticed Matthew at Ivan's side.

"It looks like you'll soon have a life to live," he commented. "Would you introduce me to your friend?"

"Da," Ivan answered. "This is Matthew, the son of Arthur of the Kirkland Clan." Matthew bowed.

"It's an honour to meet you, Your Royal Highness," Matthew greeted.

"Matthew finally broke the curse my sister placed on me," Ivan explained.

"Then thank you, Matthew," Romulus replied. "For returning Ivan to us." Matthew smiled and nodded.

"And your companions?" Ivan questioned, looking at Feliciano, Ludwig and Antonio.

"Of course," Romulus replied and put his hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "This is my youngest son, Feliciano. This is Prince Antonio, he's married to my elder son, Lovino and this is Feliciano's husband …. Prince Ludwig." Romulus trailed off, remembering the role Ludwig had played in the destruction of Ivan's sister.

Matthew held his breath as he remembered telling Ivan about what happened to Natalya.

Ivan stared at Ludwig for a long time, the atmosphere got awkward and people began to fidget.

"I know you destroyed Natalya," Ivan revealed. "I don't know what to feel about that. She was my sister but I also know why you did what you did. Had it been Matvey, I might have done the same. We shall just have to wait and see if we can ever be friends."

Everyone calmed down. That was as close as they were going to get to a peaceful resolution right now. Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please join us in my castle," Romulus invited, wanting to break the tense atmosphere from a moment ago. "We can relax, then deal with Maestri and his gang."

Everyone retired to Romulus's castle.

* * *

Luciano, Flavio and his gang were brought, under guard, from Ivan's castle into Romulus's throne room. What surprised everyone was the resemblance between the Maestri twins and Lovino and Feliciano. They even had the curls.

Luciano stood in front of the others. He looked around the throne room as if surveying it before looking King Romulus right in the eye.

"Hello, Uncle Romulus!"

A cacophony of sound broke out around the throne room as people tried to make head or tail of what he had just said. Romulus called for order.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. Luciano sneered.

"Can't you guess," he mocked. "Your late big brother, Remus liked his women, didn't he. One of them was our mother." Luciano indicated to Flavio. "Then he disappeared and the royal family just ignored our existence. We were left to struggle when our mother died, not that anybody here cared. Our father should have married our mother. He should have taken care of us but he just left us all behind."

Romulus could not deny that it was possible. The resemblance to his own sons suggested a genetic connection to the family and he remembered that his much older brother, Remus, had been something of a hedonist. Pursuit of pleasure was his main pastime, much to the disapproval of their father who felt it was inappropriate behaviour for the heir to the throne. Romulus had been a bit of a pleasure seeker too but all that change when Remus fell from his horse during a race and broke his neck.

From that moment, Romulus's life changed. He was the heir to the throne and Remus's life and death had been a example for him to change and prepare to be a responsible leader. It would not surprise Romulus to learn that he had illegitimate nephews or even nieces littered throughout the kingdom but he had to see if what Luciano said was true.

"Your Excellency," he called to Arthur. "Is there any way to see if this man speaks the truth?"

"A Veritas Spell, Sire," Arthur replied. "He'd be compelled to tell the truth." Romulus indicated to Arthur to cast the spell. Arthur took out his wand and cast it over Luciano. White magic fell over him and Romulus stood in front of Luciano.

"Did you speak the truth?" he demanded. "Are you and your brother my nephews?"

"Yes," Luciano replied, without hesitation. Romulus sighed at his late brother's indiscretions coming back to complicate things. He turned to Flavio.

"Did you have anything to do with the kidnapping of my son?"

"No, he didn't," Luciano replied for Flavio, still under the effects of the Veritas Spell. "It was just me and some of my men." Romulus turned to Lovino.

"I never saw that bastard," Flavio stiffened at the word, not knowing that Lovino called most people a bastard and in no way was it a snide remark about the circumstances of Flavio's birth. Lovino did not care about such things.

"I need to think about what to do about this," Romulus replied. "Some serious crimes have been committed but they happened out of a wrong done to these two men." He turned to his newly discovered nephews. "For what its worth, we never knew of your existence. Had we done so, your lives would have been different but Remus never said anything. He may not have known himself."

The Veritas Spell wore off and Luciano snorted.

"Do you really think your brother would have acknowledged us?" he asked, disbelieving. Romulus smiled, sadly.

"Probably not," he admitted. "Remus was self-centred and never thought about how his actions affected others as long as he got what he wanted but my father would never have left any of his grandsons to suffer. And neither will I."

"Luciano and Flavio Maes...Vargas will be placed under house arrest until I decide what's to be done with them," Romulus ordered. "The others too." The group was taken away.

Romulus sat down in his throne with a sigh.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered. Lovino snorted.

"Well, you know this family's cursed," he replied. "Go looking for a kidnapper and find two unknown nephews while your grand-daughter's still missing. This family has no luck." Feliciano turned to Ludwig, upset by Lovino's mention of his missing daughter. She would be twelve now and they never even got to name her.

Arthur put his hand on Feliciano's shoulder in sympathy. He knew what Feli was going through and reaffirmed his vow to find both Alfred and the missing princess.

* * *

Ivan was given rooms in the palace while the fates of King Romulus's new nephews was being decided. He was sat with Matthew and Francis, sipping wine before a roaring fire. Arthur had slipped out, saying there was something he needed to do.

"What's the first thing you plan to do now the curse is broken?" Francis asked.

"I'll need to return to my kingdom," Ivan replied. "I've been gone for so long, there'll be much to do. But I would like to see my sister. Matthew told me she had been found."

"Oui!" Francis replied. "She's married to King Gilbert, Prince Ludwig's brother."

"So Ludwig's my brother-in-law," Ivan mused. Perhaps he should let the thing about Natalya lie, for his older sister's sake. The door opened and Arthur came in.

"Ah! You're back, mon chère," Francis said. "What did you go to do?"

"I went to collect some one," he replied and stepped to one side. There were three people behind him. An albino man, a blonde woman and a little boy. Ivan stood up slowly.

"Katyusha!" he gasped. Queen Katyusha ran forward and wrapped her arms around her younger brother and hugged him tight, crying.

"It's really you!" she cried. "Arthur told me but I couldn't believe it until I saw you!"

"Yes, it's me, big sister," Ivan replied, a hint of a tear in the corner of his eyes. "I'm back!"

Gilbert came forward, ushering the little boy before him. They stopped when they reached Ivan and Katyusha. Katyusha let Ivan go and stepped back.

"Ivan, this is my husband, King Gilbert of Prussia," Katyusha introduced then she pushed the little boy forward. "And this is our son, Prince Frederick. We call him Fritz."

Ivan looked down at the boy who looked about seven years old. He bent down and picked him up. The little boy had his father's white hair and his mother's blue eyes. He could not believe he had a nephew. And heir to the Prussian throne, no less.

"Privet, malyshka (Hello, little one)," Ivan greeted. "I'm your Uncle Ivan!"

"Privet, Dyadya Ivan (Hello, Uncle Ivan)," Fritz replied. Katyusha smiled. She had taught Fritz what to say to his uncle. Ivan smiled at her and then back at Fritz.

"You speak Russian very well for one so young," he praised. The boy smiled. Ivan looked back at his sister and her husband.

"Are you a good husband to my sister?" he asked Gilbert. Gilbert grinned, cockily.

"I'm an awesome husband!" he bragged. Katyusha smiled.

"He is, little brother," she assured. "He makes me very happy."

"Good," Ivan replied and turned to Matthew, indicating that he join them. Matthew stood beside Ivan, smiling nervously.

"This is Matthew," Ivan introduced. "He broke the curse Natalya placed on me." Katyusha came forward and hugged Matthew.

"Thank you!" she said. "You brought my brother back. Thank you!" Matthew returned the hug.

"You're welcome," he replied and they let go.

"Will you stay for a while, brother?" Katyusha asked.

"I must return home soon," Ivan replied. "But I will stay for a while."

"You must visit us when you can," she insisted.

"I will!"

And if Ivan had his way, it would not be alone.

* * *

"Are you disappointed that Romulus didn't punish Luciano and his men as much as you'd like?" Matthew asked Ivan as they stood on the balcony from Romulus's throne room. Instead of prison, Luciano, Flavio and the lackeys had been ordered to serve in the army for five years. After that, they could either stay in the army or live their lives in any way they saw fit as long as it was legal.

"Nyet ( _ No _ )," Ivan replied. "I understand his dilemma. I still don't know how to regard Prince Ludwig about Natalya. She was my sister but she did much harm and Ludwig had to save his fiancé." Ivan put his hand on Matthew's cheek.

"If it was you, I would do the same," he stated. Matthew blushed. Ivan took both of Matthew's hands in his.

"Matvey," Ivan now seemed a little nervous. "Would you do me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage?" Matthew should have known that was coming but somehow it still took him by surprise and left him flustered.

"I.. I don't know what to say," he stuttered.

"Say da!" Ivan replied. "You made my heart beat again. Now make it dance. Say da!"

"Da!" Matthew replied and threw his arms around Ivan's neck. "da, da, da!" Ivan picked Matthew up and spun him round.

"About time too!"

They both turned to see Arthur and Francis watching them from the door to the throne room. Behind them, Lukas could be seen following Emil.

"Call me Big Brother!"

"No!"

"Big Brother!"

"Stop it!"

"Big Brother!"

"I'M NOT DOING IT!"

Nothing had changed!

"I was beginning to doubt your intentions toward my son, Your Majesty," Arthur commented.

"Matvey's my life," Ivan assured him. "You'll never have to worry about him." Francis came forward and hugged Matthew.

"I'm very happy for you, mon fils ( _ my son _ )," he whispered.

"I wish Alfred could be here with us for this," Matthew said. Arthur came over and hugged all of them.

"We'll find him," he replied. "And the missing princess too."

However, in another four years, they would find them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next in the Hetalia Tales : We take a look in Matthew's diary...


End file.
